Skylines and Turnstiles
by YouAreGross
Summary: A new ally joins forces with Steve, Natasha, and Sam as they struggle to expose a conspiracy. They soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy - The Winter Soldier. Both the Captain and Cass have a history with him and it further complicates their heroic attempts to save the world from an old threat.
1. Hear Me Out

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Hear Me Out**

Cassandra Cain is the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, born into abusive training on an isolated Tibetan mountain. Deprived of speech and human contact during her childhood as conditioning to become a world-class assassin. Consequently, Cass grew up to become an expert martial artist while simultaneously remaining mute, developing very limited social skills, and illiteracy.

Government organizations would deny hiring independent contractors, mercenaries, thieves, assassins, and contract killers, but they often do. The Director of Shield, Nick Fury, was no stranger to death threats and assassination attempts, but when he had caught intel of Lady Shiva's contract on him, he had reasonable cause to take precautions. He strategically hired Cassandra Cain to guard him. Over the course of nine months Cass had single-handedly stopped three assassins, including her own mother, Shiva. She took several bullets to save the life of Nick Fury, proving her devotion to protecting him. Impressed with the efficiency of her work and indisputable skill, Director Fury offered her the position of his personal guard permanently. She accepted.

Cassandra was trained to read other people's movements and body language and predict, with uncanny accuracy, their next move. After striking deathblows, she read the target as they died, and saw death. It left the kind of wounds that didn't gush blood, wounds that weren't visible. Fury's offer was her chance to be more than a tool for her father, who had treated her like nothing more than a weapon.

Maria Hill, her handler, tried to the best of her abilities, to teach Cassandra some semblance of English. With little headway, Cass spoke with extreme difficulty. Dyslexia hampered her ability to read and write. Her schedule was Fury's schedule, which was hectic at best, it left her little time to improve her literacy. Fury had picked up the habit of grumbling on about how certain situations could have gone better to her. Cass was always nearby but to someone who didn't know otherwise, it seemed as if he was talking to himself.

He was doing it at the very moment.

"Natasha could have been more discreet… the Lemurian Star should have been easier to recover…" Fury was mumbling on about a recent mission that involved hostages on a ship at his long desk. The huge windows pouring in daylight behind him didn't seem to brighten his mood.

A movement alert came up on the small handheld device Fury had given Cass. The AI stated over the intercom that Captain Steve Rogers was on his way up the elevator to Fury's office. Cass made herself scarce and disappeared from view of the room. Not many were privy to the information of the Shield Directors bodyguard and it was an advantage.

Rogers stormed into the bright office, wasting no time, he snapped, "You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?"

Cass tensed at the sound of it. It was too hostile for her liking.

"I didn't lie. Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours," Fury cooly stated as he leaned back in his chair.

"Which you didn't feel obliged to share," Rogers immediately shot back.

Exasperation was blatant in Fury's voice, "I'm not obliged to do anything."

Steve had been taking orders from him since he woke up in that sham of a recovery room and he was through with unquestioned leaders, "Those hostages could have died, Nick."

Fury leaned on his desk and said, "I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen."

"Soldiers trust each other that's what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns," Steve wanted to make his point clear.

"The last time I trusted someone I lost an eye." Fury stood from his chair and continued, "Look, I didn't want you doing anything you weren't comfortable with, Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything."

"I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their own," Captain Rogers was unrelenting as he continued to argue.

"It's called compartmentalization," Fury explained, "Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all."

"Except you," Steve sneered.

"You're wrong about me. I do share," he said, "I'm nice like that." Fury had to give him something to get him off of his back. He trusted Rogers, he did, but divulging information was not his forte. He started again, "I'd like you to meet someone."

Cass wasn't too surprised. Fury made choices that improved upon the bigger picture, if he decided she should be a part of it, then so be it. She came out from her hiding place and silently stood behind Captain Rogers.

"Who?" Steve asked. Fury gave a pointed look behind him and he spun around to find a small woman. She had long black hair, thick brows that framed her heart-shaped face, high rosy cheekbones, creamy skin, and wide eyes that suggested Eurasian decent. She had a uniform similar to Agent Hill's, the only difference being hers was black. Short but lean was an apt description of her.

Cassandra took a more detailed inventory of Steve's impressive stature. The serum had affected his physiology to make him invulnerable. She looked for any weak points. His right arm hitched slightly when he turned to look at her. The overuse of his shield probably caused the slight habit. His uniform was heavily padded but had vulnerable areas where he needed room to make unhindered movements. He was taller than her by more than half a foot. Wide and muscular, with his skills as a tactician, he could be threat if he chose to be.

Fury knew Cass wouldn't speak unless she absolutely had to so he spoke for her, "This is Cassandra Cain, my bodyguard."

"_You_ need a bodyguard?" Steve was a little disbelieving, Fury seemed more than capable, and the small woman in front of him seemed less so.

"I've made more than a few enemies, Cap." Fury gave him a disapproving look and said, "I can't afford to expend energy on looking over my shoulder everyday, and with her I don't need to." He began walking to the glass-paneled elevator, Steve and Cass followed.

The elevator registered Fury and Steve as they entered, Cass stepped in and the screen didn't bring up an identification. "Insight Bay," Fury orders.

"Captain Rogers does not have clearance for project Insight." The AI stated.

"Director override Fury, Nicholas J.," He leaned against the bar and waited for the elevator to descend.

"Confirmed."

"You're not a Shield agent?" Steve questioned Cassandra when he saw the screen blanked as she passed through the doors to stand opposite of Fury and next to him.

"She doesn't work for Shield, she works for me." Fury clarified on her behalf. Cass had been a part of an organization before, she had been born into it, with no say in the matter. It did not end well for her. That was all Fury would say about it and Steve saw the woman wouldn't elaborate either.

He didn't want to be stuck in an uncomfortable silence, so he commented, "You know, they used to play music."

"Yeah, my grandfather operated one of these things for forty years. My granddad worked in a nice building, got good tips." Fury recounted the story his grandfather had told him, "He'd walk home every night, roll of ones stuffed in his lunch bag, he'd say 'hi,' people would say 'hi' back. Time went on, neighborhood got rougher. He'd say 'hi,' they'd say 'keep on steppin'.' Granddad got to gripping that lunch bag a little tighter."

"He ever get mugged?" Steve asked.

Fury scoffed, "Every week some punk would say 'what's in the bag?'" The city skyline began to fade as they reached the lower levels of the Triskelion.

"What'd he do?" He was genuinely interested in what the grandfather of Nick Fury would do when someone tried to mug him. He imagined it wasn't very pleasant.

Fury gave him the answer he was expecting, "He'd show 'em. Bunch of crumpled ones and a loaded twenty-two magnum." He stepped away from the bar and stared at the three new, giant, modified helicarriers. "Granddad loved people, but he didn't trust them very much."

Steve turned around to look out the glass elevator and did a double-take. He saw that underground the Triskelion was a hangar for weaponized helicarriers.

"Yeah, I know. They're a little bit bigger than a twenty-two." Fury understated.

All three of them walked while Fury explained, "This is Project Insight, three next generation helicarriers, synched to a network of targeting satellites."

"Launched from the Lemurian Star," Steve surmised. He figured it was more important than the original mission briefing made it out to be.

"Once we get them in the air, they never need to come down. Continuous suborbital flight courtesy of our new repulser engines." A hint of admiration could be heard in Fury's voice. He was the proud father of three impressively deadly helicarriers.

"Stark?" They stepped on a moving platform that went down the length of a helicarrier.

"He had a few suggestions after he got an up close look at our old turbines." Steve remembered that, while in the Iron Man suit, Stark really did get an up close look when he had gotten caught in a turbine after Banner had hulked out on the helicarrier. "These new long range precision guns can eliminate a thousand hostiles per minute. The satellites can read a terrorists DNA before he steps outside of his fight hole. We're going to neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen."

"I thought the punishment usually came after the crime," to Steve, this immediately didn't feel right.

Fury sighed, "We can't afford to wait that long."

"Who's 'we?'" Steve asked. Cassandra leaned back against the railing. Their postures were confrontational now, so she sat back and let them argue. She doubted the Captain would take a shot at Fury. If he did, she could stop him.

"After New York I convinced the World Security Council we needed a quantum surge threat analysis," Fury said, "For once, we're way ahead of the curve."

"By holding a gun to everyone on earth and calling it protection," Steve retorted. Cassandra had heard many things about Captain Rogers and his need to lecture those he thought needed it, was not an exaggerated characteristic.

Fury challenged, "You know, I read those SSR files. Greatest Generation? You guys did some nasty stuff." Cassandra was also familiar with the gruesome methods used during WWII, but she hadn't read them in a file like Fury had.

"Yeah, we compromised, sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well, but we did it so that people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is fear." Steve pointed upwards to a helicarrier to emphasize his point.

Fury had heard enough of Rogers argument. He took a step towards him and said, "Shield takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. It's getting damn near past that time for you to get with that program, Cap."

Steve was equally through with the conversation, "Don't hold your breath." He walked away in the direction of the elevator.

Once he was out of hearing range, Cass spoke slowly as she looked up at the helicarriers, "He's… just like you said, Nick." Her slight arabic accent had come as a surprise when he first heard it. The base she grew up on had people from all over the world, but the man in charge of it was of arabic descent and she rarely ever left his side when she was young.

"Self-righteous?" Fury suggested.

Cass walked to where the Captain had stood moments ago and looked him in the eye. "A good man," she said. Fury gave her a warning look, he didn't want to argue with her too. He signaled her to follow him back up to his office, grumbling all the way there.

* * *

**AN:** _This will be following the CA:TWS plot, so the dialogue and situations will be familiar. If you are looking for something more original, my first fic, After Dark, a precursor to this fic, it's a detailed background story on Cassandra Cain that involves the Winter Soldier. Skylines is a stand-alone fic. You don't need to read the previous story. Also Cassandra Cain is not an OC it's just best categorized that way._

_Also in case anyone was wondering; arabic accents flatten and darken vowels. 'E' and 'I' especially aren't as sharp sounding as opposed to a normal american accent._


	2. Take Me Down

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Take Me Down**

Fury mumbled something about out-dated moral superiority while in the elevator back to his minimalistic office. As soon as they got in Cass sat at one of the many chairs around a conference table. She found it odd for him to have his office set up that way. He hardly had company and there were so many other actual meeting rooms at the Triskelion, it's not as if he needed it. Unless he thought it made his office seem more open and friendly, in which case he had failed. Nick Fury would never be associated with the words 'open' and 'friendly.' It was cold, which did suit Fury.

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window to stare at the city skyline and then he began to fiddle with something in his hand. "Secure office."

The windows automatically tinted black and the whirring of security measures could be heard. He plugged in a small device to an outlet on his desk. "Open Lemurian Star satellite launch file."

"Access denied." Cassandra looked up confused. Fury had access to everything.

"Run decryption," he tried.

"Decryption failed," The AI's feminine voice came over the intercom. Fury walked over to the large screen displaying the program.

"Director override. Fury, Nicholas J," he tried again.

"Override denied. All files sealed." The AI confirmed.

Fury needed answers, "On whose authority?"

"Fury, Nicholas J." Something strange was happening. Fury looked momentarily concerned but he quickly straightened himself out. He saw that Cass had furrowed her thick brows, it made her look like a lost child. "This is not a sign of good things to come," he remarked. He made his way back to the elevator.

"World Security Council."

The AI confirmed the order and started to move. Fury needed to speak with Alexander Pierce. Cass has seen them interact and Fury treated Pierce as his superior at work, and an equal as a friend. They stepped out of the elevator apparently interrupting something. Cass hung back while they spoke.

Pierce's assistant called him over, "I work forty floors away and it takes a hijacking for you to visit?" He was as charming as ever.

Fury replied, "A nuclear war would do it too." They shook hands in greeting. "Busy in there?" He looked to where the holographic WSC meeting was held.

"Nothing some earmarks can't fix," he said. Pierce tucked his hands into the pants of his very expensive looking suit.

"I'm, uh, here to ask a favor. I want you to call for a vote. Project Insight has to be delayed." Fury knew it might be asking too much but he had to take precautions.

Pierce raised his eyebrows. "Nick, that's not a favor, that's a subcommittee hearing. A long one."

Fury vaguely explained, "Could be nothing, probably is nothing. I just need time to make sure it's nothing."

"But if it's something?" Pierce asked. This was sounding more and more like a serious concern.

"Then we'll both be damn glad those helicarriers aren't in the air," he answered. Cassandra didn't like the sound of that.

Pierce conceded, "Fine. But you gotta get Iron Man to stop by my nieces birthday party."

"Thank you, sir." They shook hands again and began to depart.

"And not just a flyby either, he's gotta meet her," he clarified. Cassandra wondered how Fury would get Stark to do it. She'd never met him before but she'd seen footage. His body language was loud and clear. It was hard to read in the suit but the arrogance of the man was practically pungent. She had contingency plans for almost everyone she or Fury came into contact with. Starks was a very strong EMP and computer program that would severely damage his AI.

* * *

Another perk of having Cassandra around was that she also acted as a chauffeur. Fury's window was rolled down because he liked the Washington air. He needed Agent Hill there to help get a handle on the problem so he opened a communication line.

"Activating communications encryption protocol," the AI spoke.

"Open secure line 0405." The AI confirmed the request and Agent Hill came up on the left corner of the passenger's side windshield where Fury was seated.

"This is Hill," Maria's clipped tone came over the comm.

"I need you here in D.C." He knew this called for discretion, "Deep shadow conditions."

She requested, "Give me four hours."

"You have three, over." Fury ended the conversation. Cass was happy that she'd get to see Maria. She had been a major key in helping her understand English. She considered her a friend. Between the Shield carrier and the Triskelion, they barely got to see each other.

Stopped at a traffic light, a police squad car pulled up next to the giant black SUV. The driving officer stared at Fury from under his aviators.

Smartly, Fury said, "Wanna see my lease?" The officers turned on their siren and drove forward. Cass gripped the steering wheel and tried to speed off. Those were not policemen.

Fury shouted, "What are you doing?!" Before she could answer him another squad car came at them from the driver's side causing the airbag to go off. The policemen that Fury had spoken to backed up and hit the front bumper. Then two other cars hit them from behind and the passenger's side. They were trapped.

"Fracture detected," The AI said, "Recommend anesthetic injection." Cass pulled out the injection and hit Fury with it. The car on the driver's side pulled away and a black van took its place.

"D.C. metro-police dispatch shows no units in this area," the AI said. More fake squad cars showed up, surrounding them. False policemen stepped out of their vehicles and pointed heavy guns at them.

"Get me out of here." Nick looked to Cassandra. The men begun shooting at them but the armored SUVs glass didn't break. Cass made to pull out but the car whirred down, "Propulsion systems offline." The AI brought up the damage on-screen.

Fury shouted, "Then reboot, damn it!" The process was frustratingly slow. The back doors of a phony SWAT van opened and a fake SWAT team carried out a mechanized battering ram.

They set it up in front of the driver's side, "Warning: Window integrity compromised."

"You think!?" Fury's usually cool demeanor had dissipated.

"Get in the back," Cass ordered. She was calmer than Fury but not by much. Trained to take dangerous situations with complete ease, she felt confident they could get out of this. He did as he was told and hopped into the back trying not to jostle his fractured arm. Cass moved to the passenger's side. The battering ram was activated and it drilled into the ground to keep it from moving.

"How long till propulsion?" Fury demanded. The AI calculated the amount.

The SUV suddenly lurched to the side when the ram hit, "Window integrity: thirty-one percent. Deploying countermeasures."

Fury said, "Hold that order!" They were hit again and the SUV jumped.

"Window integrity: nineteen percent," The AI stated, "Offensive measures advised."

"Wait!" Fury wanted to hold off until the last possible moment. Another hit from the battering ram was taken.

The AI said, "Window integrity: one percent."

This was the moment Fury waited for, "Now!" A small hand cannon came out of the center console armrest. Cass grabbed it and began shooting. The window shattered and men started dropping to the ground. She shot the black van and it went up in flames.

"Propulsion systems now online," The AI stated.

Fury shouted, "Full acceleration now!" The SUVs tires squealed while trying to push forward the car in front of them, it suddenly backed up and hit the car behind them. While Fury was in the backseat safe from any direct hits, Cass now had an opening where the window used to be. The SUV drove itself as men shot at her and she shot back. Finally it sped away.

"Initiate vertical take-off." Fury wanted to get out as soon as possible.

The AI reported, "Flight systems damaged."

"Then activate guidance cameras!" He shouted from the backseat. He moved to sit up in the passenger seat but Cass stopped him.

She said, "Not yet." She needed to protect him. She remembered the one time in her life when she had failed an assignment. Never again.

"Take the wheel," He said. She got control over the SUV and maneuvered in and out of the traffic. A few squad cars were still chasing after them.

Fury looked back and tried to get Agent Hill over the comm line again but the comms were down.

"Well, what's not damaged?" Fury demanded to know.

"Air conditioning is fully operational." If the AI was a living breathing person, Fury would have strangled him. The squad cars chased after them on the crowded streets of D.C. The AI continued, "Traffic ahead."

"Give me an alternate route." Fury's initial panic had ebbed away. He was in control again.

"Traffic alert on Roosevelt bridge, all vehicles stopped. 17th avenue clear in three blocks, directly ahead." Cass plowed through a couple of cars and mounted the curb. Some men had caught up to them and began shooting at Cass again. Civilians ran off screaming when a shooter neared them. Cass backed up and hit a shooter, spun the wheel around to hit another who was sent flying through a shop window. She sped off and drifted onto 17th. Just two more fake cop cars were left.

One of the shooters was halfway out of their window trying to hit them. Cass rammed them with the SUV and grabbed the gun and head-butted the man who was momentarily dazed. The other car came up next to them sandwiching the SUV. The AI warned them about an intersection and Cass slammed on the brakes. The two cars went forward and got slammed by a big yellow truck.

Fury shouted, "Get me off the grid!"

"Calculating route to secure location." Cassandra had tuned the AI out, when she saw him.

It was the man with the metal arm. He was wearing a long-sleeved leather jacket and a mask now but she'd recognize his movements no matter what he was wearing. Every individual moved differently, it was like fingerprints, no one else could match another's body language. She'd fought him when she was younger and still under the control of a zealous organization. He had inadvertently helped save her from the man she was made to protect. He killed her leader. She had failed him. She didn't want to fail Nick too.

"Seatbelt!" She yelled at Fury when she saw what he had in his hands. It was a magnetized grenade launcher. Fury complied and just when the belt clicked the grenade went off and the SUV flipped and slid across the pavement.

The Winter Soldier made his way to them through the smoke.

"He won't get to you," Cass said with conviction. She helped Fury out of his seat and took out a very potent blow torch. She used it to cut a hole through the reinforced metal and the concrete to get to the underground sewer system. She got Fury down first and then herself. He leaned on her as they ran through the sewers.

As they were running Fury thought this was an opportune time to ask since she had in depth knowledge of most assassins, "You know him?"

She faltered, "I died… in his arms." Cassandra remembered a black haze and she didn't want to talk about it. Fury didn't continue to question her even though he wanted to. He didn't know every exact detail of what had happened to her but he knew it wouldn't do her any good to talk about it in a sewer while they were on the run. He gave her instructions to take him to Captain Steve Rogers' apartment.

* * *

**AN:**_ I didn't want to change too much from the film but it made more sense to me for Fury to be in the backseat where there were no openings to shoot him. Also, I'm not totally sure about how the whole blow-torch-street-hole thing worked._


	3. Lay Me Out

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Lay Me Out**

She bandaged Nick up as best as she could when they got into Steve's apartment. It was filled with earthy tones and clean, simple furniture. Mostly he had small cuts and bruises but she wasn't a doctor so she was unsure about him internally. She wanted to take him to one but he was stubborn and sat down at a chair next to a record player and turned it on. A fanfare of orchestral music played with smooth trumpets. She heard Rogers muffled voice outside of the door talking to a woman. Cass assumed it was Agent 13, Sharon Carter. She didn't want her involved. The less people knew the better. The voices stopped but Cass didn't hear the turn of a key in the lock. A few minutes later she heard the window slide open. She waited in the shadows with Fury.

"I don't remember giving you a key," Steve's voice interrupted the optimistic music playing from behind the corner of a wall.

Fury grunted in pain as he sat up, "You really think I'd need one." He leaned his hands on his knees, "My wife kicked me out." If he wasn't so injured Cass might have found that statement comical.

"Didn't know you were married." Steve was still halfway behind a wall and unsure about stepping forward.

Nick nodded, "A lot of things you don't know about me."

Steve walked towards him, "I know, Nick. That's the problem." He turned on a light and it illuminated Nicks gnarly, bruised face. Fury lifted up a hand to silence Steve and he turned the light back off. He typed something on a device that Cassandra couldn't read and showed it to Steve.

Nick said, "I'm sorry to have to do this but I had no place else to crash." It was some kind of code.

"Who else knows about your wife?" Steve played along. Nick got up and Cassandra put a hand on his shoulder to help steady him.

"Just… my friends," he was struggling to speak. Cassandra moved to sit him down but he lifted a hand to stop her. She occupied herself by looking out of the window.

"Is that what we are?" Steve asked.

Nick said, "That's up to you-"

"Down!" Cass shouted as she saw the man on the rooftop. He shot three times but she got in the way. The first bullet hit him but the last two never touched him. She lifted the furniture near the window. The bullets tore through it but slowed down before they pierced her. Fury was down on the ground. Steve dragged him out of the line of fire. Cass stumbled after them.

Coughing, he lifted his hand up to Steve and wheezed, "Don't… trust… anyone." He handed Steve the small device from earlier as Agent 13 burst through the door calling out for Captain Rogers.

She explained who she was to him, "Captain, I'm Agent 13 with Shield special service."

Steve was confused, "Kate?" She was suppose to be a neighborly nurse and instead she turns out to be on Shields payroll.

"I'm assigned to protect you," she said.

"On whose order?" Steve was angered at the complete invasion of his privacy but now wasn't the time for it.

Sharon looked down at Fury, "His." She kneeled and took out a radio, "Foxtrot is down. He's unresponsive, I need EMTS." She gave him a quick once-over.

"Do we have a 20 on the shooter?" The radio crackled a response back.

"Tell them I'm in pursuit." Steve picked up his shield and crashed out the window and into the one in the next building intent on capturing the shooter.

Sharon looked at Cassandra realizing she was there, "You were shot too." She stated as she saw blood oozing out of her chest in two separate places.

"Flesh wounds," Cass replied and made her own way to confront the shooter. Running out the door and downstairs she left the building and ran at full speed down the block. Rounding a corner, she saw him as he leapt from the building. She pursued him as he ran into an alley. She turned the corner and all of a sudden a pair of steel arms wrapped around her waist and she was shoved up against the rough brick wall. His cold hand was digging into her throat. She took a knife that was hooked on his pants and stabbed him in the shoulder where she knew that he had a scar. She knew because she was the one who made it.

He didn't budge. She took it out and put it to his throat, another shared experience. His black smeared face faltered for a moment. The Soldiers eyes were blue, as hard as marble, and just as cold. She stared at them waiting for him to recognize her but it never came. Instead he slammed her head against the wall and vanished. Cass was dazed for a moment and got up swaying a bit. Right now she had two options, go after him, or stay with Fury. She chose the latter.

* * *

Maria spoke quietly with Cassandra on their way to Fury's surgery, "He's going to fake his death."

"Where to?" Cassandra asked. They'd need a safe and secure location to lay low while he recovered.

Maria spoke softly, "You're not going with him." Cassandra felt an ache in her chest. Of course he wouldn't want her with him, she had let him down. He was shot and planning to lie dead on a slab because of her incompetence.

Maria, sensing the thought of her directions, strongly said, "You did good, Cassie. He's safe," She thought of what to say, "You'll see him before he goes and help get him to the hideout, but he wants you to shadow Steve and Natasha." They quieted down when they neared the room. Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff were already there, staring at the doctors working on Fury. Cass heard Steve mention the metal arm. Natasha had an interesting reaction. She knew him too.

Natasha spoke to Maria as they stood next to her, "Ballistics?"

Maria reported, "Three slugs, no rifling, completely untraceable." Two of them had lodged themselves into Cass but she was fortunate. The table she'd used stopped the bullets from getting lodged too deep in her chest. The EMTS cleaned, stitched up, and bandaged the wounds after taking out the slugs.

"Soviet made." Once Natasha said that, it confirmed for Cass that she knew the man with the metal arm.

Maria turned to look at her, "Yeah." She soon turned back to look at Fury when the doctors swarmed around him to use a defibrillator. The machines around him beeping rapidly, indicating the worst.

"Don't do this to me, Nick." Natasha quietly spoke to herself and Cass would have been devastated had she not known he'd be perfectly fine. She put on a show and gave all of the typical signs of distress and so did Maria. Natasha repeated the words over and over. Cass felt somewhat sorry for her. She'd met her a few times and she came from a similar background. With a few differences such as, Natasha had started young but Cassandra had no choice but to be born into a cult of assassins, among other things. What they had in common was that they both saw Nick as a paternal figure, a friend, a guiding light leading them out of the darkness.

He flat-lined. At 1:03 a.m. Nick Fury was declared dead. He was taken to a private room where family could have a moment with him. Natasha and Steve were there. Natasha was just staring at Nick, as if she could will him back to life. Steve was leaning back against a table at the end of the room with his arms crossed. Cass was standing next to him waiting for Maria.

She came in and stood on the other side of Steve. "We need to take him," she said softly. Steve stepped towards Natasha while Maria looked at Cass tearfully. Cass was brought up to be a weapon not a person, weapons didn't cry, they didn't feel. Nick had taught her that it was alright, he reinforced the belief that she was a person, and that she could cry, and that she could feel however she wanted to whenever she wanted to. He had brought her a sense of peace that she had never felt before and the thought of him being torn away… Tears started to slip down her cheek for the first time in years.

Natasha gently laid a hand on Nick and left the room, Steve followed after her. Cass spoke to Maria, "I'll follow them now… You take him."

"You need to rest," Maria put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have go now."

Cass looked at Fury and said, "He'd want me to." She walked out of the room as Steve slipped something into a vending machine. She waited for him to leave. Looking into it she saw that behind a couple of packs of Hubba Bubba chewing gum was the small device Nick had given him. She commended him for his quick thinking but anyone could have gotten a hold of it with enough quarters. She slipped a couple in and made to grab it. A quick hand reached in and grabbed the gum. Cass straightened out to find Natasha was the one who took the gum.

She popped one into her mouth and said, "Is that what I think it is, Cassie?" Cass didn't like the way Natasha had said her name. It was condescending. She stayed quiet. "I'm going to need you to give that to me." Natasha held a hand out. Her tone was friendly but Cass knew it was a threat. A fight between them would be interesting but in Cass' mind the only outcome would be her winning. That's not to say she didn't think the Black Widow was a formidable opponent but even at her fighting weight Cass was certain she could take her down.

She spoke to Natasha for the first time, "No." It was her favorite word. Before, she wasn't given the option to say 'no' and now she could say it freely and no one would make her do anything that she didn't want to. Natasha put her hand down and smirked. Cass looked straight into Natasha's eyes and asked, "How do you… know him?" Frustrated that her sentence faltered (words didn't come as quickly to her as movements did), she waited for an answer.

"Know who?" Natasha was genuinely perplexed. Cass knew that she was close with Fury and worked with Steve.

"The Winter Soldier." As soon as the words came out Natasha signaled for her to enter an empty hospital office. She followed. At least now Maria could get Nick out without Natasha figuring out what was really happening.

Natasha closed the door and crossed her arms. Cassandra sat up on an empty desk and let her legs swing.

"How do you know him," she countered. She only had a limited amount of information on him and she hadn't met anyone else who even admitted that he existed. Cass wouldn't answer her. She had asked first and expected to be answered first. Natasha ran a hand through her bouncy red hair and sighed. She lifted up her shirt and showed a very impressive scar to Cassandra. She knew that Cass understood actions more than she understood words. "How do you know him," she repeated again.

"He killed the man… I was born to protect." Cass struggled to get the words out.

Natasha furrowed her eyebrows, she asked, "And who was that?"

Cass' eyes flashed to meet hers and spat out, "Head of the League." Natasha wasn't easily shocked but she knew the story. What she didn't know was that Cassandra and the Winter Soldier were involved. The League was a group of zealous, master assassins that had been around for centuries. Recently the alleged League base was bombed and the members of it who weren't there had disbanded, which wasn't likely. When she was being trained in the Red Room she had been told she had it easy compared to League training. She'd heard the most gruesome things. Natasha was curious and wanted to ask her about what it was like but she had to focus on more pressing things. She understood Cassandra a little bit better now.

"I'm sorry," she offered.

Cassandra showed the beginnings of a smile. "I'm not," Cass would have not been where she was today if he hadn't killed him. She jumped down from the desk and walked over to Natasha. She got in her personal space and reached into her pockets getting a piece of gum. They sat in silence and waited for Steve to come and retrieve the flash drive. Cass nodded over to the window. Natasha looked and saw that he was in a terrible disguise in front of the vending machine. Well, the disguise wasn't exactly terrible, it was just impossible not to tell who the big guy was. He was only in a hoodie and sweatpants.

Natasha stepped out of the room and behind Steve. Cassandra stayed in it, she had a hunch on how this would play out.

* * *

**AN:** _As I said before, After Dark, my first fanfic is Cassandra's background story. If you want specifics you can read it, if not, that's fine._


	4. Ride Escalators

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Ride Escalators**

Just as Cass suspected, Rogers shoved Natasha into the room and against a wall. Suspicion made people do funny things. Natasha was clearly amused. Although his posture and size were intimidating, she just knew him too well. He wouldn't hurt her either, not that he could go up against a couple of master assassins. Cass would definitely intervene if it came to blows. Fury's order implied that they needed protection. It wasn't his 'dying' wish but she would treat it as if it were.

"Where is it?" He pulled his hood down.

Natasha's immediate reply was, "Safe."

"Do better," he ordered. He looked incredibly pissed.

Natasha hadn't assumed that Cass had it the entire time so she asked, "Where did you get it?"

Steve was right in her face. "Why would I tell you?"

Nat asked, "Fury gave it to you, why?" Cass let them have their little spat. She wondered how the Avengers ever got anything done, they couldn't even get along. Or at least it seemed that way.

"What's on it?" He ignored her question because he wasn't too sure on why either.

She answered, "I don't know."

He seethed, "Stop lying." Steve shook her a bit. Not enough for Cass to intervene.

"I only act like I know everything, Rogers," Nat was just being snarky now.

Steve looked over to the door that he had left open, turned back and said, "I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates, didn't you?"

She honestly hadn't. Nat said, "Well, makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you." Cass did know about the pirates Fury hired because she had been the one to recommend Georges Batroc to him. Batroc was skilled, which is why they needed him to cover up the retrieval of the information.

"I'm not going to ask you again." He shook her again a bit harder this time.

Cass hopped off of the desk getting Steve's attention. "Stop," she demanded. Steve let go of Natasha and wondered how he had missed the other woman in the room. Then again, she was so small in stature it was somewhat excusable.

"I know who killed Fury." Nat diverted his attention back to her, "Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years." That didn't include the hundreds of lives buried under tons of snow under a mountain that Cass had once called home. He had ordered an air strike that decimated the large palace that she had grown up in. She was one of two people who had made it out. Her father was the one other.

Steve summarized, "So he's a ghost story."

"Five years ago I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa, we lost control, went straight over a cliff, I pulled us out. But the Winter Soldier was there," Natasha explained. "I was covering my engineer so he shot him straight through me. Soviet slug. No rifling. Bye bye bikinis." She told Steve in words what she had told Cassandra in actions earlier.

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in 'em now," Steve jested. Natasha was an undoubtedly beautiful woman, one scar didn't define her.

Natasha ignored his comment and continued, "Going after him is a dead end, I know, I've tried. Like you said, he's a ghost story." Cass had tried to find him once but she had also found nothing. She stepped towards Steve and held up the device. Fury had given it to him, not to her.

He took it from her hand and said, "Well, lets find out what the ghost wants."

* * *

Cass waited outside in the parking lot of a mall while Natasha and Steve went in and decrypted the device. Cass couldn't even read, much less hack into some program. Everyone had different strengths, this was not one of hers. She was skilled in being able to comprehend a person's body movements as if it were language. Her ability to comprehend body language enables her to quickly learn information about the person. She's been able to figure out secret identities and disguises by looking at footage. But she couldn't read or decipher data to save her or anyone else's life.

She had a disguise on, though hardly anyone knew about her, it was better to err on the side of caution. She was in a wheelchair she had taken from the hospital, people tend to avoid looking at a handicapped person. She was wearing a deep green t-shirt and a leather jacket with dark washed jeans.

A bunch of vehicles pulled up to a curb nearby and Rumlow stepped out of one of them. All of the operatives stepped into the mall leaving their cars foolishly unattended. Cass might not have know how to hack into anything but she knew how to disable a vehicle.

After a few more minutes of waiting Steve and Nat came out to find her. Steve led them to a blue, four door truck and successfully 'borrowed' it. Apparently, they were headed to Wheaton, New Jersey./

Nat had stared at Steve for a minute before she asked, "Where did Captain America learn how to steal a car?"

"Nazi Germany. And we're borrowing, take your feet off the dash," He reprimanded her. Growing up on an isolated mountain Cass had never learned about the history of the world, the people who led it, or the people who destroyed it. Something her mother had once told her came to the forefront of her mind.

* * *

_"You misunderstand, I want to help you, little one. I want you to become everything you were meant to be. And he is not it," Shiva threw a photograph of Nick Fury at Cass. "You're limited by his ideals, his dogma. He shelters you from the real world. Keeps you naïve, ignorant, stupid. It's why he never taught you how to read, why he kept you from speaking for so long… There's nothing I wouldn't teach you about this world." Shiva was twisting situations to her advantage to tempt Cassandra._

_"If someone had the insight, ability, and guts to assassinate Hitler, Stalin or Amin- wait, do you even know who they are? Has he taught you anything besides how to be his tool?" Cassandra attacked her then. It felt good to let loose, hitting with everything after years of holding back._

* * *

Shiva wanted to take her back to the League but Cass had said no. It was the first word she had ever spoken. She sat in the backseat trying to push those thoughts away for now.

Natasha put her feet down and asked another question, "Alright, I have a question for you but you do not have to answer… I feel like if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it-" She went on.

"What?" Steve was exasperated.

She looked very amused and asked, "Was that your first kiss since 1945?" That caught Cass' attention. She knew he had been frozen and it was such an odd thing to ask. What would be the first thing someone did after finding out they had been asleep for seventy years…

He said, "That bad, huh?" So they had kissed, that was interesting.

"I didn't say that," Natasha tried to sooth his bruised ego.

Steve didn't believe her. "Well, it kinda sounds like that's what you're saying," he said.

She tried to fix the situation, "No, I didn't- I just wondered how much practice you had." This was very entertaining, indeed. Cass was grinning in the backseat.

"You don't need practice," Steve argued.

Nat shot back, "Everybody needs practice."

"It was not my first kiss since 1945." Steve finally relented, "I'm ninety-five, I'm not dead."

She asked, "Nobody special then? What about you, Cass?"

"I wasn't allowed to touch… but now," she started somberly but soon cheered up. "Men are... easy enough to please," She said while looking at the Captain. Nat laughed at that and waited for Steve's answer.

Steve scoffed, "Believe it or not, it's kinda hard to find someone with shared life experience."

"Well, that's alright just make something up," she said it as if it was a game.

Steve looked at her for a moment and said, "What, like you?"

"I don't know, the truth is a matter of circumstance. It's not all things to all people all the time, and neither am I," she explained.

He said, "That's a tough way to live."

Nat replied, "It's a good way not to die though." She looked out the window at the greenery that they passed by.

"You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone when you don't know who that someone really is," he said switching back and forth between looking at the road and her.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Who do you want me to be?"

Steve asked, "How about a friend?"

She chuckled, "Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers."

Steve glanced into the rearview to look at Cassandra. He tentatively asked, "Cass, what did you mean by you weren't allowed to touch?"

"My father kept me isolated… my body trained, focused… never spoke to me... never let me speak…" Steve had wondered about her short faltering sentences. "The only touches I knew… were the kind that left ugly marks…" She left it at that. It was one of the longest conversations she had ever had with someone other than Nick or Maria. She felt mentally exhausted. Steve appreciated her honesty, she didn't deflect or try to sugarcoat anything she said. Maybe he had made another friend.

* * *

**AN:** _English is my second language so if anything seems wrong tell me. I appreciate everyone who has followed and favorited. I especially want to thank those who have reviewed! My previous story didn't get many reviews. I don't feel the need to get a pat on the back, but it just helps when writing to know that you're going in the right direction and that you're not disappointing readers._


	5. One More Reason

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**One More Reason**

They drove silently until they reached their destination. An old rundown military base. They got out of the truck and walked to the closed fences.

Steve stated, "This is it."

"The file came from these coordinates," Nat said skeptically.

"So did I," he said. The sky was darkening and Cass wandered away from them. She looked at the place, it didn't look very efficient. Steve and Nat walked over to a building and Cass went to follow them. He used his shield to break a lock so that they could enter. He felt along the wall and found the light switch. He hit the lights and they surprisingly worked. The room was dim and filled with dust.

Nat saw the familiar emblem on the back wall and said, "This is Shield."

"Maybe where it started," Steve guessed. They walked through the old structure looking around for anything that might help them.

Nat hummed, "There's Starks father." Cass saw a picture of a handsome man with dark hair and a mustache.

"Howard," Steve clarified.

"Who's the girl?" Nat asked. Next to Stark was a lovely brunette woman with painted lips and an elegant face. Steve just turned away. Cass could tell seeing it had caused him pain but she didn't bring it up.

He moved to what looked to be a bookcase and said, "If you're already working in a secret office…" He trailed off. Shoving his shield between the bookcase and the wall he pried them apart. "Why do you need to hide the elevator," he finished. They got in and went down arriving at a dark room. The lights automatically turned on and shined on a lot of out of date equipment.

"This can't be the data point. This technology is ancient," Nat said what they were all thinking. It was all bulky and large, nothing like the sleek modern equipment they were all accustom to. At the center of the room was a large computer. What looked to be something more modern was on the desk and Nat plugged in the device.

The screen came to life, "Initiate system?" The voice was nothing like the polite AI voices Cass was used to. It was harsh and electronically halting.

Natasha stepped up and typed while saying, "Y-E-S, spells yes." The machine started to whirr.

"Shall we play a game?" She said ominously. She turned back to them saying, "It's from a movie-"

"I know, I saw it," Steve interrupted her.

"I haven't," Cass spoke up.

Nat looked at her and smiled, "We can watch it once we're clear." Cass liked the idea but thought it would be unlikely to happen. After everything was over, would they still speak to her? Nat and Steve would be too busy avenging, or whatever it is that they did, and Cass would be glued to Fury making sure he was as safe as possible. They wouldn't have time.

A pixelated face came up on the screen and spoke, "Rogers, Steven. Born 1918." The camera atop the monitor moved over. "Romanov, Natalia Alianovna. Born 1984." It moved again. "Unknown subject. No records available." Cass huffed at that.

"It's some kind of recording," Nat guessed.

The voice startled them by saying, "I am not a recording, Fraulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945. But I am."

"You know this thing?" Natasha turned to Steve.

"Arnim Zola was a german scientist that worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years." Steve began walking around the machine inspecting it.

"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you, I have never been more alive. In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind however, that was worth saving, on 200,000 feet of databanks. You are standing in my brain," he- it corrected Steve.

Steve asked, "How did you get here?"

"Invited." The computer was amused.

Natasha clarified, "It's Operation Paperclip. After World War II Shield recruited german scientists with strategic value."

"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own," Zola elaborated.

"Hydra died with the Red Skull," Steve stated.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take it's place." The talking screen showed the Hydra symbol then split into two heads.

Steve said, "Prove it."

"Accessing archive," it started. The smaller screens brought up images and clips of what Zola was trying to convey. "Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with it's own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist." A clip of Steve in 1945 came up on the screen. "The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender it's freedom willingly. After the war, Shield was founded. And I was recruited. The new Hydra grew. A beautiful parasite inside Shield. For 70 years, Hydra has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war, and when history did not cooperate, history was changed." Images of the Winter Soldier came up on the screens.

Natasha interrupted, "That's impossible. Shield would have stopped you."

"Accidents will happen. Hydra created a world so chaotic, that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security." Schematics of the weaponized helicarriers came up. Cass felt her stomach lurch. Hydra had control over the carriers. "Once the purification process is complete, Hydras new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life, a zero sum." Steve had enough and hit the screen, cracking it.

"As I was saying," Arnim's face switched to another screen.

"What's on this drive," Steve demanded to know.

Arnim replied, "Project Insight requires insight. So I wrote an algorithm."

"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" Nat had more questions.

Arnim said, "The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it." The doors to the elevator were closing and Steve threw his shield to try and stop it. It was too late.

"Guys, we got a bogey." Nat said, "Short range ballistic. 30 seconds tops."

Steve asked, "Who fired it?"

"Shield," she said.

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain. Admit it. It's better this way. We are, both of us, out of time." As Zola was speaking Steve lifted a grate from the floor. They all jumped in. Steve held on to both of them and lifted his shield to protect them from the walls caving in around them. The floor shook and rumbled with the impact. They all screamed. Cass tried to shield both of them with her body but she was too small. The building collapsed on top of them.

Steve grunted as he shoved the rubble off of them. Natasha had passed out. He lifted her in his arms. They were both relatively unscathed. Cass took some damage, a lot of scrapes and gashes. Lights overhead warned them that they needed to move quickly.

"Follow me," Cass whispered. The vanishing act was definitely one of her strong suits. Steve was a good soldier but also very conspicuous. They stayed close to the small flames to avoid infrared detection, if they had any, and finally made it out.

* * *

**AN:** _Some readers are assuming that Cassandra is an original character, she's not. Cassandra Cain is a character from DC. I might drop a reference just for fun but other than that I'm not writing a DC/Marvel crossover._


	6. Something Better

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Something Better**

They had made it back to D.C. in one piece. Steve 'borrowed' another vehicle to get there. Cass tended to Natasha in the backseat where she came to soon after the incident.

She opened her eyes and said, "You're bleeding." Cass looked down at her and cocked her head to the side. Blood was already drying on the side of her flushed face. Her shirt was tattered and her hair was dirty.

She said, "Not important." Natasha was saddened. She realized that Cass hadn't gotten past all the dehumanizing effects of her conditioning.

Natasha sat up and spoke softly, "Let me help you." She cleaned the more visible wounds with the bandages they had bought at a gas station. Cass looked apprehensive. Her father would do the same. He would clean her up only to shoot her at point-blank range.

Steve joined the conversation, "Once we're close enough to the city, we leave the car somewhere, and find a safe location."

"We have nowhere to go, everyone's trying to kill us," Natasha said as she finished up on Cass.

Steve smiled, "Not everyone."

* * *

"Is he even home?" Nat asked.

Cass suggested, "Break in."

Steve ignored them both and knocked on the door. It's as if neither of them understood the concept of knocking. The blinds went up and Sam Wilson slid the backdoor open. Steve had explained his association with him on the way there.

"Hey, man," he greeted Steve. Sam gave them strange looks.

Steve apologized, "I'm sorry about this, we need a place to lay low."

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us," Natasha put it bluntly.

"Not everyone," he said exactly what Steve had said earlier and it was reassuring in a strange way. He stepped aside and the four of them went inside. Natasha and Steve went into Sam's bedroom to get cleaned up. Cass stayed in the kitchen and dining area with Sam. He seemed trustworthy. But so did Shield up until recently.

He saw that she made no move to take him up on his offer of using his bathroom. He asked, "You're not gonna get cleaned up?"

"What for?" She asked in return. Cass moved over to where he was cooking and looked up to him questioningly.

"Help yourself," he gestured towards the breakfast he was making. "And to answer your question, you aren't going to blend in with the dream team in there looking like you just had a building dropped on you." She smiled widely at him, he just drooled charm.

"There's another bathroom you could use, down the hall, to your left," he suggested. She walked towards it to please him. Cass didn't see what difference it would make whether she was clean or not. She looked in the mirror and sighed. She was a disaster. Her long silky hair was in knots. Every inch of her face was covered in dirt. Her thick dark brows were dusted and so were her lashes. There was no saving her clothes. Turning on the shower she got to work.

Meanwhile, Sam interrupted Nat and Steve, "I made breakfast," he leaned up against the door. "If you guys eat that sort of thing."

They stepped into the kitchen and ate what Sam had cooked up. Sam spoke to Steve, "So… do you always surround yourself with gorgeous women?"

Steve raised an eyebrow and Nat smirked. Cass walked in feeling refreshed. She'd braided her hair to keep it from her face.

"So… the question is, who in Shield could launch a domestic missile strike?" Natasha questioned.

The answer hit Steve like a ton of bricks. "Pierce." The Secretary of Defense was actually a Hydra operative. Cass felt foolish, she should have noticed something. Nick was close friends with him, this news would upset him.

"Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world." Natasha added while moving around the room.

Steve said, "He's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star." This was why Fury entrusted the information to Steve. He had figured it out, with help of course but he'd done it.

"So was Jasper Sitwell," Nat added to the pile of new information. Steve processed this.

He said, "So the real question is, how do two of the most wanted people in Washington kidnap a Shield officer in broad daylight?"

Sam picked something up and walked over to where Steve was sitting. "The answer to your question is: you don't." He handed him a file.

"What's this," Steve asked.

"Call it a résumé," Sam said confidently. Steve stood up and looked at the file with Natasha. Cass didn't bother with the information she just looked at the picture.

"Is this Bakhmala? Mission Khalid Khandil, that was you? You didn't say he was a pararescue," Natasha knew more about the file than either Steve or Cass.

Cass handed the picture to Steve who asked, "Is this Riley?"

Sam solemnly nodded and said, "Yeah."

Natasha continued to show her knowledge on the subject, "Heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What'd you use? A stealth chute?"

"No," Sam handed them another file. "These." He leaned back and crossed his arms. Cass hadn't had the chance to operate one, she preferred being on solid ground anyway.

"I thought you said you were a pilot," Steve slightly scolded him.

Sam chuckled, "I never said pilot."

"I can't ask you to do this, Sam," he said. "You got out for a good reason."

As charming as ever, Sam replied, "Dude, Captain America needs my help, there's no better reason to get back in."

Steve conceded, "Where can we get our hands on one of these things?"

"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall," Sam answered. Steve looked to Natasha who shrugged and then to Cass who nodded at him. It'd be a piece of cake.

"Shouldn't be a problem," he said easily.

* * *

Cass waited up on the roof of a distant building for her newfound friends to bring Sitwell up. She was looking through the scope of her sniper rifle waiting for Sam's signal to scare Sitwell into cooperating. She saw Sitwell answer his phone, ditch the guards, and stumble around trying to find Sam who had called him under the guise of Pierce. She got the signal, turned the little red light on, and aimed at his tie. She kept it on him as he entered the car where Steve and Nat were waiting. The car sped in her direction. It was too easy.

A couple of minutes later and they joined her up on the roof. Sitwell was thrown through the door by Steve who demanded, "Tell me about Zola's algorithm."

"Never heard of it," Sitwell blatantly lied as he got up from his fall.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" Steve continued his interrogation. Sitwell stumbled back.

Sitwell thought it was a good time to joke, "I was throwing up. I get seasick." Steve shoved him up on the high ledge and grabbed him by the collar.

Sitwell smirked and said, "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Cause it's really not your style, Rogers."

"You're right," Steve said as he loosened his grip and smoothed Sitwell's suit. "It's not. It's hers." Steve stepped aside and Natasha forcefully kicked Sitwell off the ledge. He went down screaming.

"Oh, wait, what about that girl from accounting? Lor- Laura…?" Natasha was still invested in Steve's personal life.

"Lillian," he corrected. "Lip piercing, right?"

"Yeah, she's cute," Nat said.

"Yeah, I'm not ready for that," Steve replied. Cass smiled at him. The screaming got farther and then nearer again. Sam appeared with mechanized wings and Sitwell in his arms. He dropped him on the building and landed. The wings retracted into the pack that was safely strapped on his back. They all crowded Sitwell and he broke.

Lifting a hand up he said, "Zola's algorithm is a program. It's using Insights targets-"

Steve interrupted, "What targets?"

"You! The TV anchor in Cairo, the other secretary of defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to Hydra," Sitwell elaborated. "Now or in the future."

"The future? How could it know?" Steve asked.

Sitwell laughed, "How could it not?" He stood up and continued, "The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught Hydra how to read it. Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores! Zola's algorithm evaluates peoples pasts to predict their future."

"What then?" Steve asked.

"Oh my god, Pierce is gonna kill me," Sitwell mumbled. Sam grabbed him from behind to get him to focus. Cass directed the barrel of the sniper towards him.

"What then?" Steve demanded to know.

Sitwell ominously answered, "Then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time." The carriers were programmed to kill millions of people, people deemed as a threat to Hydras cause.

They escorted Sitwell back to the car and shoved him in. Slamming the door on him Sam leaned against the door waiting for Steve to come up with a plan.

* * *

"Cass, you won't be recognized, how do you feel about scouting ahead towards the Triskelion?" Steve nodded to an unattended car parked on the curb.

She walked over to the car and broke in and had the engine running in less than a minute. She drove off leaving them behind.

"Spys, man…" Sam trailed off, looking after her.

"We have to stop this from happening, we'll get the information we need from Sitwell and meet with Cass once she clears us," Steve said and opened the passenger seat leaving Natasha to sit in the back. They drove in the same direction Cass had gone and continued to interrogate Sitwell. After he gave them what they needed Steve formulated a more solid plan.


	7. Colder than a Cell

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Colder than a Cell**

The gravity of the situation got to Sitwell, "Hydra doesn't like leaks," he stated from the backseat.

Sam had enough of this guy and tried to shut him up. "So why don't you try sticking a cork in it," he said while driving yet another 'borrowed' car.

"He says launch is in 16 hours, we're cutting it a little bit close here," Nat chimed in from the backseat.

Steve said from the passenger seat, "I know. We use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly."

Sitwell leaned forward and said, "What? Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible, idea-" Suddenly a thump could be heard on the roof of the car. A metal arm burst through the window and yanked Sitwell out into on coming traffic.

The Winter Soldier began to shoot at them through the roof. Natasha jumped onto Steve's lap pushing his head and Sam's out of the line fire. Steve yanked on the break. The car skidded to a stop and the force of it threw the Winter Soldier off. His metal arm gripped into the road and stopped any real damage.

An armored vehicle came slamming into the back of the little black car. It pushed them forward to the Soldier. He flipped back on the roof and as they struggled to search for a gun, he shattered the windshield and ripped the steering wheel right off of the dashboard.

Sam shouted, "Shit!" Nat found the gun and began shooting at the roof.

"Contact Cass!" She shouted to either of them. They needed to get out of there. The Winter Soldier jumped from their car to the armored vehicle as Sam called Cass.

Without the steering wheel the car veered from left to right. The threatening vehicle rammed into them causing them to hit the wall on a bridge. The car began to flip.

"Hang on!" Steve screamed at both of them as he tucked his shield under him. He broke the car door and used it as a buffer. The car flipped wildly on the bridge as Steve, Natasha, and Sam skidded across the road on the car door. Sam rolled off of it, hitting the hard gravel. The armored car screeched to a stop.

The Winter Soldier jumped down and was a handed a grenade launcher by one of the many men behind him. Steve pushed Nat out of the way and used his shield. The explosion sent him flying through the air and crashing into a bus. Another truck slammed into it and flipped it over. The Soldiers operatives began closing in on Natasha and Sam shooting in V formation. They split up and took cover. The Soldier shot another grenade at Natasha and she jumped off the bridge using a grapple she landed safely.

The Soldier and his men began shooting at the bus where Steve should be. Natasha began shooting at him. He returned fire. Natasha ran off to try to lead them away.

"/I have her. Find him,/" the Winter Soldier commanded his men in russian. He jumped off of the bridge and landed on car. His men began to descend from the bridge as well when a shot rang through the air and a man hit the ground.

Cassandra had finally arrived. She aimed at another man as she got closer and shot. Some of the men had already made it down and began shooting at Steve again. Sam took out the last man on the bridge by sneaking up behind him and slicing his chest and kicking him off of the bridge.

He turned to Cass and said, "Decided to join the party, huh?"

"Brought you a present," she handed him the rifle. He began to shoot at the men on the ground.

"Go! We got this!" He yelled at Steve who had just retrieved his shield. Another explosion could be seen in the distance. Cass dropped down on one of the operatives and began fighting them in hand to hand combat. They weren't very well-trained so she took the ones she reached down with ease.

Civilians scattered and ran from the streets as the Winter Soldier walked through them. Natasha set up a trap for him. She recorded a message and played it back on a device behind a car while she waited for him to take the bait. He did and she sprung up and kicked the gun out of his hands and tried to choke him but he threw her off roughly. He picked up his gun again but before he had the chance to use it, she threw an EMP at his arm, temporarily disabling it. She ran off while she could, warning people off the street. The Soldier shot her in the back and she went down.

Steve intervened and shielded himself from a hit. The metal arm clanged when it hit the vibranium hard. They got into a brawl that ended with the Winter Soldier getting ahold of the shield. He threw it at Steve, who dodged it, and the shield ended up embedded in a van. He produced a knife and attempted to stab Steve but he dodged every swipe. They fought with an even amount of force and continued to try to gain the upper hand.

Cass had left Sam who had no one left to shoot at. He ran to the destroyed car to search for his wings. She saw Steve being choked so she intervened and slammed into the Soldiers back with her knee. He turned to look at her but Steve hit him again. They both just started throwing punches and blocking them until Steve hit a van. The Winter Soldier produced another knife from his person and tried to slam it into Steves skull but he blocked it with his arms. Cass tackled him down and Steve yanked the shield stuck in the van. The Soldier flipped her on her back and went to stab her, she let him to get a better shot at his ribs while his arm was raised. Steve pulled him off of her. He tried to elbow Steve with his arm but his shield blocked it. Steve hit him in the face and flipped him over.

His mask laid there on the ground as he got up. Cass noted that he hadn't aged a day since she last saw him. Steve's body language changed instantly. He was dumbstruck, his jaw hanging open and staring at the man. He knew this man. This was the man who he grew up with.

After a long suspended silence he said, "Bucky?" His question confirmed it. Not only did he know him, he knew the man by a name, a real name. His chest burst with a flurry of emotions and he didn't know which one to hang on to.

The man said, "Who the hell is Bucky?" All hope shattered in Steve when he heard those five words come from the most menacing version of his friend, his brother. Even more so when Bucky lifted a gun up to shoot him. Luckily, Sam had come to the rescue with his mechanized wings and kicked the Winter Soldier hard enough to knock him down.

Natasha got a hold of the grenade launcher during the commotion and shot it at him while he wasn't so close to anyone. A few cars went up and flames and created a giant smoke cloud. Cass went into the smoke to find him.

Sirens started to wail and Strike team vehicles surrounded Steve, Natasha, and Sam. Men with guns at the ready started to swarm them screaming for them to get on the ground.

Brock Rumlow was one of them screaming, "Drop the shield, Cap! Get on your knees! Get down! Get down! Get on your knees! Now!" Steve did as he was told he put his hands in the air and let Rumlow kick him to his knees. There wasn't anything he could do. There was no way out. "Don't move," Rumlow told him. Another Strike team operative put a gun to Steves head. He was ready to shoot but Rumlow stopped him.

There was what appeared to be a news chopper in the air and they couldn't very well execute Captain America in the middle of the street. Rumlow said as much, "Put the gun down. Not here. Not here!" Sam and Nat were also apprehended by the Strike team. Steve was too stunned at the moment to do anything other than comply. They put them in the back of an armored truck with two guards.

Meanwhile, Cass was still chasing after the Winter Soldier. He had led her into another alley. He wasn't assigned to do anything to this woman, just the two level six targets. He didn't extend one iota of effort more than he needed to, to get the mission completed and the mission was always the sole objective. He waits for her to make the first move but it never came.

Instead she did something he wasn't expecting, she spoke softly to him, "You don't… remember him?" Cass already knew the answer to that.

"Who?" He barked at her. Her voice was so quiet and soft, he didn't understand why she was speaking to him.

She continued, "You don't remember me?" Two people in one day had insinuated that they knew him. A storm was brewing in his head. This didn't make any sense. Her brown eyes were so sincere, it confused him all the more.

He took a threatening step towards her and said, "How do you know me?" Had he botched a mission? Did everything he had done finally catch up to him? He had been so careful and precise. He needed to know how she had found him so he wouldn't make the same mistake again.

She cocked her head to the side, her raven hair was slipping out of its braids, and her thick eyebrows furrowed. She didn't know how to put it all into words and she wished she could explain it. She wanted so badly to help him. But all that she could say was, "You saved me."

Those were words that the Winter Soldier didn't understand. He felt anger surge through him. This woman was a liar and an accomplice to his targets. He went to attack her but she stopped him with what she said next.

"Scars on your shoulder… and thigh… I did that," she said to him. She wanted him to remember her but didn't know how to do it. It was true. He didn't take inventory on every little thing on his body, he wasn't told that he should. The reason he knew it was true was because she had stabbed him in a different alley while on this mission, and it was exactly next to another scar of the same variety there. He saw it when they stitched him up.

Cass was conflicted. She wanted to stay and say all the things she wanted to but she had a mission of her own involving Steve and Natasha. She stared at him and remembered his shaggy brown hair and scruff. The piercing blue eyes that stared back, it saddened her to leave him. She wanted to stay and answer every question he asked. Taking him with her wasn't an option, he was currently a threat to Steve and Natasha. She'd have to find another way.

"I- I have to go," she stammered. She looked at him one last time and said, "I'll find you." She turned and ran off. He ran after her but once he turned the corner she was already gone. He was unsettled. She didn't threaten him or try to take him down. She had only engaged him earlier to distract him from his targets. When they were alone she actually spoke to him and not at him. The way she said she'd find him… what would she do to him if she did? He just didn't understand and he couldn't understand. Something in him wanted to.


	8. Burning Eyes

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Burning Eyes**

"It was him," Steve said. They were all in the back of the truck wearing especially restricting cuffs with two armored guards. "He looked right at me. He didn't even know me." His emotions were still warring against each other.

Sam asked, "How's that even possible? It was like 70 years ago."

Steve didn't know for sure but he had guesses, "Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him."

"None of that's your fault, Steve," Natasha cut in.

Steve looked down saying, "Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky." Natasha leaned her head back and tried to ignore the pain from the shot at her left shoulder. Sam noticed the blood flowing freely down her brown coat.

"We need to get a doctor here. We don't put pressure on that wound, she's gonna bleed out-" Sam tried to help but the guard closest to him flashed a rod like taser at him. Unexpectedly, the guard turned the taser and the one other guard there and shocked him, then kicked him in the head effectively knocking him out.

The three prisoners stared completely stunned.

The guard grunted as she took her helmet off revealing that it was Agent Hill. "That thing was squeezing my brain," she stated about the helmet. "Who's this guy?" She looked at Sam and then at Steve. She didn't see Cass at all when they had apprehended them and panic set in, "Where's Cass?" She needed to know. She wasn't in the truck with them.

Steve answered, "This is Sam Wilson and Cass disappeared when the Strike team got to us."

Maria sighed in relief, "She's probably not too far behind then."

* * *

Cass was in another borrowed vehicle following the armored truck. It was a blacked out van that came in handy when she had three fugitives quickly stuffed into it. Cass let Maria take the wheel so she could take them to the hideout. Maria smiled at her but their reunion could wait.

She drove to a dam near the Potomac river. Steve got out first and then he helped Natasha out. Maria led them to a gate leading inside. The halls had dim overhead lights and a man with glasses came running towards them waving his hand.

"GSW. She's lost at least a pint," Maria yelled at the man.

"Maybe two," Sam corrected.

He was a doctor. He could help Natasha. He said, "Let me take her."

"She'll want to see him first," Maria said. Steve and Natasha looked at each other for a second, confused as to who Maria was talking about. They soon figured it out when she pulled a curtain aside and revealed Nick Fury who had been recovering in the dam this entire time. He was on a hospital bed leaning forward.

All he had to say for himself was, "About damn time."

Cass went through and laid a hand on Fury's. She beamed at him and he turned his and over and squeezed her hand. She sat down on the bed next to him letting her legs dangle off the edge, careful not to disturb him or any of the tubes connecting him to the machines. The doctor sat Natasha down and began to work on her shoulder. Steve was still staring at Nick but went to stand next to her. Sam leaned against a counter and Maria stood next to Fury's bed.

"Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collar-bone, perforated liver, and one hell of a headache," Nick slowly listed off the injuries he had sustained from the car crash and the bullet that had got to him.

The doctor reminded him, "Don't forget your collapsed lung."

"Let's not forget that. Otherwise, I'm good," he assured them.

Natasha tried to make sense of it all. "They cut you open, your heart stopped," she said.

"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress, didn't work so great for him but we found a use for it," he explained.

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve had to ask.

"The attempt on the directors life had to be successful," Maria answered that for him.

He said, "Can't kill ya if you're already dead… Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust." He momentarily looked at Natasha who looked a little hurt at what he was implying. She then looked at Cass, who didn't look too surprised at Fury's sudden resurrection.

"You knew?" She asked her. Cass had the decency to look at her apologetically.

Cass spoke quietly, "I was told to… keep an eye on you both." She looked between Steve and Natasha. They had to understand the complexity of the situation.

* * *

Under a bank in Washington, Hydra had set up camp. Doctors and engineers fluttered around the Asset while he sat back shirtless in the reclining chair that was part of a bigger machine and hooked up to several screens and computers. They fixed any damage done to his bionic arm.

He started to get flashes of what had happened to him. A voice calling him by a name he didn't recognize. The sound of a train. Falling. Impact on a cold and unforgiving surface. Being dragged in the snow. A procedure. Agony. An enveloping cold.

He broke.

The Solider shoved the man hunched over his arm with all his might. He went flying across the room. Everyone scampered away from him and the men with guns pointed them at him.

More flashes came to him. A gentle hand holding his arm. Long dark hair. A man holding a whip. Endless screaming. It wasn't him that was in agony. Pools of blood. A girl dead in his arms. Explosions.

He tried to navigate through the haze but it was as if every time he almost grasped something it was torn away from his reach.

Pierce came in through the gate door and said, "Mission report." His request fell on deaf ears. Staring blankly at nothing, the Asset seemed to be lost in thought which just wouldn't do. "Mission report, now," Pierce commanded loudly.

The Asset continued to be unresponsive. Pierce had no time to deal with this. He backhanded the Asset hard across the face.

The Asset finally looked at Pierce, confused. He said unsure, "The man on the bridge… Who was he?"

"You met him earlier this week on another assignment," Pierce tried to explain it away. He was still trying to remember but didn't exactly know how. He wasn't equipped to build the familiar connection but he still tried, wanting to know so badly.

He tried to convince Pierce, looking right at him he said, "I knew him." He nodded to get his point across. Usually, they believed every word of his mission reports but now, everything felt out-of-place and faltering. Pierce moved a chair and sat down directly in front of the Asset. Pierce saw that his brow was wrinkled with confusion, the look of a lost child, a look that Pierce had never seen on the Assets face. He decided to approach this manner with caution.

"Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century," he said calmly. The Asset looked at him from under his lashes. "And I need you to do it one more time. Society's at a tipping point between order and chaos and tomorrow morning we're going to give it a push… But you don't do your part, I can't do mine. And Hydra can't give the world the freedom it deserves." His words were slowly seeping into the Assets mind and Pierce thought it had worked until he heard what he said next.

"But I knew him," the Assets revelation was unexpected, it was impossible. It was not just a casual expression of familiarity. Its never happened before. Because he doesn't know anyone. He has not recognized a single human face since he became the Winter Soldier. Not one. Except for the man on the bridge and the woman with the dark hair. "And the woman."

"What woman?" Pierce was sure he hadn't dealt with Romanoff before.

"She has dark hair," the Asset squeezed his eyes shut. It wasn't her only defining feature but in the hazy flashes, it always swirled around her.

Pierce sighed and went to stand up. He couldn't think of anyone wi- It struck him. Nick Fury's lap dog. He didn't know how the Asset knew her but he couldn't have him compromised.

"Prep him," he commanded the people around him.

"He's been out of cryofreeze too long," one of the scientists told him.

There was only one other alternative. Pierce said, "Then wipe him and start over." The Assets face fell and crumpled. He wanted to remember, he didn't want them to take this away from him. But he let them push him back into the seat. He let them put the mouth guard in. He let the machine secure his arms. He breathed deeply in anticipation of the pain to come. He heard the machine whirr and the crackle of electric pulses that would scrub his mind clean. The panel came down and clamped around his head. That's when the screaming started. The excruciating pain of it was intense and caused him to go rigid. He tried to think of something that would distract him from the pain. Nothing he thought of took away any of his suffering but the smallest piece of him thought of the woman who had promised to find him.

* * *

Fury had felt well enough to put on his usual choice of clothing. Black and militaristic. He sat at a table with a picture of Alexander Pierce. Everyone was seated around him. Maria on his right, Cass on his left, Natasha on the side, Steve and Sam were both standing up.

"This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility," he said, "See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch," Natasha said strongly.

Fury stated, "I don't think the council is accepting my calls at the moment." He lifted the lid off a case and showed them his contingency plan.

"What's that?" Sam asked what everyone was thinking.

Maria elaborated, "Once the helicarriers reach 3,000 feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized." She turned a screen to them and showed them some of the prints.

"We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own," Nick explained the plan.

"One or two won't cut it, we need to link all three carriers for this to work because if even one of those ships remains operational, a whole lotta people are going to die," Maria finished explaining. They were like a hive mind.

Fury continued, "We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is Hydra, we need to get past them, insert these server blades, and maybe, just maybe we can salvage what's le-"

"We're not salvaging anything," Steve interrupted, "We're not just taking down the carriers, we're taking down Shield."

Nick bristled, "Shield had nothing to do-"

"You gave me this mission, this is how it ends," Steve cut in again, "Shields been compromised, you said so yourself. Hydra grew right under your nose and nobody noticed."

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed," Nick retorted.

Steve replied, "How many paid the price before you did?"

"Look, I didn't know about Barnes," Nick tried to seem apologetic but it didn't exactly fool anyone.

"Even if you had, would you have told me? Or would you compartmentalized that to?" Steve genuinely wanted to know. "Shield, Hydra, it all goes."

Maria gave her input, "He's right." She nodded at him. Nick looked to everyone in the room. Natasha also seemed to agree with Steve. Cass too.

"Don't look at me, I do what he does, just slower," Sam said.

"Well…" Fury leaned back in his seat and said, "Looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."


	9. Broken City Sky

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Broken City Sky**

"Nick…" Cassandra spoke hesitantly. He and Maria both looked at her. "I'll miss you." This was her chance to say goodbye. She knew what the destruction to come meant. She could die. He could die. Any one of them could be hurt. Even if she didn't, Nick would still have to go into hiding afterwards and work to repair the damage. She couldn't go with him. She hoped he would understand. And he did.

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it saying, "Do what you think you have to." He understood her need to find a sense of personhood and she couldn't do that by following him around. Maria got up and hugged her. Cass wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"Be safe," Maria whispered in her ear. Cass let go of her to go find Steve who had wandered off. She was also sure that Natasha would want a to speak with Nick privately so she left.

Steve was up on the walkway above ground, overlooking the Potomac river. They were hidden by greenery and tall trees. It seemed so calm.

She interrupted his thoughts, "I told him… I'd find him." Steve turned and saw that Cass had snuck up on him again. There was only one person she could have been talking about.

"Why?" He asked. He was curious in her interest.

She took a minute to gather her thoughts and said quietly, "I know what it's like… to be raised a weapon… to be used."

Steve was a little surprised by the confession. "You want to help him," he stated more than asked.

She seemed to shrink into herself making her seem smaller than she already was. Next to Steve she looked like a child, all wide-eyed and shy postures.

"I knew him," she said. That sent a new wave of shock through him. Before he could throw a barrage of questions her way, Sam came up on the walkway.

"He's gonna be there, ya know," He said as he neared them.

"I know," Steve answered.

"Whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don't think he's the kind you save, he's the kind you stop," Sam tried to put it gently but he wanted to be firm. They couldn't let Hydra win. It needed to be stopped.

"I don't know if I could do that," Steve admitted.

Sam tried to reason with him, "Well, he might not give you a choice… He doesn't know you." Steve bristled a bit.

"He will," Steve sounded so sure of himself. He was just someone born certain. "Gear up, it's time."

"You gonna wear that?" Sam asked him. Steve without his suit in the midst of saving the world would be an odd thing to witness.

He replied, "No. If you're gonna fight a war, you gotta wear a uniform." With that, he headed back down to presumably change his outfit.

"And you, what are you gonna try?" He turned his attention to Cass.

She smiled kindly at him and said, "…Trying implies that I have a chance to fail." He smiled back. He liked Cass, really he did, and he'd known Captain America, the Black Widow, and Cassandra for all of a few days, but they were his friends. There was more to family than appearance. They all knew that.

* * *

Steve had somehow gotten his hands on his old uniform from back in the '40's. Agent Hill had her standard Shield catsuit on and so did Cass only hers was black and not Maria's dark navy. Sam had his civilian clothes on but the giant pack strapped on to his person distracted from that. Natasha had left earlier to acquire her disguise to get into the Triskelion.

The dam where they were hiding out was close to the Triskelion so they trekked their way through the greenery of Washington along the Potomac. Natasha should have infiltrated the Triskelion by now. She was in a hi-tech disguise as the World Security Council's only female member. She would release all of Shields and Hydras files, secrets, and cover-ups on the internet for the world to see them as they really are.

They'd made it to their infiltration point without any problems so far. Maria did something to a satellite dish causing a man to come to open the door. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that it was Captain America and team.

"Excuse us," Steve told him. The man lifted his hands in the air and moved aside letting them enter. They told everyone to leave the room and they did, no questions asked.

Steve took a hold of a microphone and Maria had patched through every intercom in the building. "Attention all Shield agents, this is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me in the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. Shield is not what we thought it was," Steve claimed. He continued, "It's been taken over by Hydra. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The Strike and Insight crew are Hydra as well. I don't know how many more but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want. Absolute control."

"They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, Hydra will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way," Steve assured everyone. "Unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot. The price of freedom is high, always has been, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not," he urged everyone.

"Did you write that down first or was that off the top of your head?" Sam asked him, smiling. Sam, Steve, and Cass made their way out and began running to the helicarriers.

Soon after Steve's speech a beeping noise came over the computer.

"Their initiating launch," Maria warned them over the comm. They were getting closer to the launch site.

As they ran Sam asked, "Hey Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?"

"If they're shooting at you they're bad," Steve clarified. Sam spread his arms and the wings sprouted out from his pack. He grabbed Cass from under her arms and lifted her while Steve jumped onto a carrier below. Sam dropped Cass on a group of men on a carrier where they began to shoot at him.

Sam exclaimed, "Woah! Cap! I found those bad guys you were talking about!" Cass started to disarm men and taking the cannons offline.

"You guys okay?" He asked.

"Not dead yet," Sam replied as he dodged more shots at him.

Maria came over the comm, "Falcon, status?"

"Engaging!" He replied shortly. More shots were taken at him and Cass was almost through with taking out the men on the surface. Falcon activated his pack and a set of rifles made their way into his hands. He took out the two remaining men.

"Alright, Cap, we're in," he notified him. As soon as he said it a plane came overhead targeting him.

"Shit! Cass, the targeting blade!" He threw the device at Cass who caught it and ran toward the entrance to the carrier. Falcon led the plane away and engaged it.

Steve was fighting his way through several men when he heard Maria over the comm, "8 minutes, Cap."

"Working on it," Steve said over his comm as he entered the carrier.

He made his way through and found where the targeting blades were. He switched one out and replaced it with one of theirs.

"Alpha locked," Steve confirmed the transaction.

"Falcon, Cass, where are you now?" Agent Hill asked.

"Had to take a detour!" Falcon yelled as the plane gained on him. He effectively dodged the seekers and had one hit the hub of the carrier. The impact shook Cass as she made it in. Falcon flew in and landed on the walkway behind Cass.

"Bravo locked," Cass said into her comm as she switched in the targeting blades. Falcon picked her up again and flew out through the hole he just made.

"Two down, one to go," Maria spoke over the comm. Explosions could be heard below on the ground. Something was happening.

"Charlie carrier is 45 degrees off the port bow… 6 minutes," Maria informed them.

Steve said, "Hey Sam, gonna need a ride!" He was running from a few Hydra operatives. Sam dropped Cass on the last helicarrier and went for Steve.

"Roger. Let me know when you're ready!" He replied.

Steve yelled "I just did!" He jumped off of the carrier while men onboard were throwing grenades at him. Sam dove for him and caught him by the arm. He landed on the last carrier with Steve.

"Ya know, you're a lot heavier than you look," Sam criticized.

Steve defended himself, "I had a big breakfast." They walked forward. Most of the men were already taken down by Cass it seemed.

The Winter Soldier appeared and roughly shoved Steve right off the edge of the helicarrier. Steve caught on to something to keep him from falling.

"Steve!" Sam yelled and spread his wings to go help him. The Soldier grabbed him by a wing and threw him back. Sam deployed his guns and began to shoot but was evaded. He went to try for Steve again but was thwarted when a grapple latched onto his wing. The Winter Soldier pulled him towards him, yanking the tether. It tore one of the wings off. The Soldier ran towards him and kicked him off too. Sam went spiraling through the air, unable to fly anymore he pulled the string for the chute to come out.

As soon as he safely landed he spoke into the comm, "Cap? Cap! Come in, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm here!" Steve said as he dangled off the edge of the carrier. "I'm still on the helicarrier. Where are you?"

"I'm grounded. The suits down. Sorry, Cap," Sam told him reluctantly.

Steve reassured him, "Don't worry I got it! Cass, where are you?" No reply came over the comm. "Cass!" Nothing but radio silence. He ran towards the blade station hoping she'd be there waiting and prepped.

Maria felt worried but she had to press on. "Falcon?" She had footage of Rumlow going towards the Council. After he replied she said, "Rumlow's headed for the council."

"I'm on it," he told her. Natasha needed more time. Pierce had killed the other three council members and was holding her hostage. Eventually, Fury shot Pierce and made their escape to the chopper Fury had brought. Pierce was left to die in a pool of his own blood.

Steve ran on the walkway to the blade station. What he was met with was Bucky standing over Cass' body. Her chest was still rising and falling slowly, he had gotten there just in time. The remnants of a strange smell hung in the air. He had gassed her.

"People are gonna die, Buck," he tried to reason with him. "I can't let that happen." He got nothing but a blank stare in return. "Please don't make me do this," he pleaded to him. The hard stare didn't change so he threw his shield at him.

Bucky deflected it with his arm and shot at Steve but his shield had already made it back to him. He kept trying to get a clean shot but Steve blocked every one. One finally slid through his abdomen, barely grazing him. Steve reacted and bashed him with the shield. The gun had slipped out of his hand and fell below the walkway. He resorted to using a dagger. Again, he tried to swipe at him but Steve dodged the knife every time. Steve shoved him down.

They were equally matched. Steve knew in the back of his head that this might end in mutually assured destruction. He turned to put the code in to bring up the blades but Bucky reached him and engaged him. The sound of his arm hitting Steve's shield echoed through the bowl like structure of the blade station. The knife was lost somewhere in the fight and they began throwing punches.

Revitalized with anger and frustration Bucky screamed and tackled Steve off the walkway causing both of them to fall. Steve lost the shield and the blade as they fell on a lower level. They fought again while Steve tried to grab the blade on a curved structure. Steve had gotten to the blade but lost it again as Bucky kicked him. Steve kicked him down to the lower level with glass panels and jumped down too. He ran towards the blade but got knocked down by his own shield. Bucky had found his gun and started shooting again. Steve shielded himself and when he had the opening he threw it at Bucky who deflected it again. Flipping out another knife, he charged at Steve. He was able to stab him in the shoulder. Steve screamed. He head butted him and Bucky went down but he grabbed the targeting blade while he was on the floor.

Steve picked him up by the neck and flipped him on the ground hard. He put him in an arm lock trying to force him to let go of the blade. "Drop it!" He told him. "Drop it!" He wouldn't let go of it so Steve pulled on his arm causing something in it to pop. The Winter Soldier screamed but he still didn't let go of it. Steve then put him in a chokehold that he tried to get out of but Steve pinned his arm down with his leg. He passed out letting go of the blade. Steve scrambled to find a way to get back up on the walkway.

"One minute," Maria reminded Steve. In one minute millions of lives could be lost. Steve found a way onto the second level when he was shot in the leg. The Winter Soldier had woken up. Steve ignored the wound and began to climb upwards. The next shot missed.

"30 seconds, Cap," Maria tried rushing him.

He took the targeting blade out and just as he was about to put it in, he was shot again. This time in a more vital area.

* * *

**AN:**_ The story and chapter titles are from the song Skylines and Turnstiles by My Chemical Romance._

_Thanks for reading!_


	10. Hello Angel

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Hello Angel**

A swift hand reached out and took the targeting blade from Steve, locking it into place.

"Charlie locked," Cassandra's smooth voice came over the comm.

Maria sighed in relief, "Okay, guys get out of there." She set the computer to redirect the targets, the three monstrous helicarriers. The turrets all moved and pointed at each other in a self-destructing triangle.

Steve looked to Cass, silently asking permission. He didn't want to ask this of her but what if Hydra had a contingency plan and overrides the blades? He could not risk it. He could not let Hydra win.

She nodded. She'd been surrounded by people who would die for their cause all her life. Surrounded by people who called themselves honorable and just. Those people were the opposite of what they claimed to be. After she left that part of her life behind she wondered how people blindly followed their faith with such conviction. She was ashamed to have been one of them.

Now it was all so clear.

Steve would die for his cause. Steve was honorable. Steve was just. He was everything a true leader was supposed to be, in the most profound sense. And Cassandra would follow him, she had faith.

"Fire now," Steve's voice shook.

Maria hesitated, "But Steve-"

"Do it! Do it now!" He ordered. Cass helped him up and tried to stop the bleeding.

The helicarrier shook with force as it was hit from all sides. At the rate it was taking damage, they'd hit the river in minutes.

The carrier began to collapse and pieces of it were falling from the sky. A portion of the carrier they were in was blown away. The supporting beams began to fall.

As Cass and Steve looked at the destruction surrounding them they heard Bucky scream, he was pinned beneath a beam on the lowest level. It would soon give way.

Below them the first carrier hit the Potomac and began to sink.

Steve jumped down and winced as his injuries began to weigh him down. Cass soon followed and they both grabbed the beam and began to grunt with effort as they attempted to lift it. The Winter Solider also labored to slip away from beneath the beam.

The second carrier hit the side of the Triskelion and began to tear through the building.

Mostly due to Steve's enhanced strength, even in his weakened state, the beam was lifted long enough for the Soldier to slide from under it.

As soon as he was up another tremor ran through the carrier and a lurch caused Cassandra to go flying right out of hole ripped through the carrier.

"Cass!" Steve screamed as he saw her plummet. A wave of relief washed over him as soon as he saw a parachute. She was going to be alright.

Another ground shaking movement drove his attention back to the Winter Solider.

"You know me," Steve left no room for argument.

Bucky screamed, "No I don't!" He hit Steve with a brutal swing by his metal arm that sent Steve flying.

They were both breathing heavily as Steve got up and continued, "Bucky... You've known me your whole life."

A harsh back-handed hit got Steve across the face with enough force to knock him back down.

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes," Steve was unrelenting.

The Soldiers face contorted in confusion, "SHUT UP!" Another hit that sent Steve to the floor.

He got up and looked at Bucky straight in the eyes. Embers began to fall around them like rain.

"I'm not gonna fight you..." Steve stated as he dropped his shield. It fell through the broken carrier and into the Potomac. "You're my friend."

The Winter Solider yelled and tackled Steve and pinned him down. "You're my mission," he spat at him. He began to brutally beat him to a pulp. Screaming in between punches, "YOU'RE. MY. MISSION."

"Then finish it," Steve struggled to speak, "Cause I'm with you to the end of the line."

Bucky stopped. His head was being torn apart as he struggled to find pieces of himself. Things that were long since lost. Staring down at the man who had such resolve in his eyes, he thought he might be able to find them again. Was there a road to redemption? Or was there only the road that was chosen for him?

He didn't have time to find the answers he was trying so hard to find.

The center pillar came crashing down and it caused Steve to fall out of the carrier and down below. Bucky was barely hanging on, dangling from the carrier.

Bucky looked down and knew that this was it. He had to make a choice. To be a man or to be a machine.

Steve plunged into the water. All of the gear and armor that was supposed to help him protect himself was causing him to sink lower and lower. The murky water was going to be his grave. His world had gone dark.

A hand reached through the water and lifted him from the darkness.

Bucky dragged him out of the water and dropped him on the edge of the river. Looking down at the man who had called him brother he felt something new, or rather something he had forgotten, repentant.

Flashes of another memory came to him. A similar situation. He was dragging someone else out of murkier waters. They were in a cavern. The woman. He was dragging the woman. He had walked away from her then. Just as he was walking away from Steve now.

Cass ran towards the end of the river bank. She pushed her self to go faster.

She saw the figure drag Steve and go. Reaching him she saw that his face looked like pulverized meat. A gash running along side his lip, his eye was swollen shut, the blood on his stomach, and countless other wounds marred his body. Prioritizing the wounds, Cass got to work on the worst ones.

"The left riverbank," She spoke to whoever was still on the comm line. "Need immediate medical attention." Steve was fading.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Maria asked Cass for the hundredth time that day. They were walking through the streets of New York on their way to Stark tower.

She was going to the human resources department of Stark industries. Now that Shield was out of commission she needed a new job, as trivial as it seemed after the events that she had witnessed. Maria was sure she could get Tony to overlook Cass' lack of documentation. Hell, he'd probably forge documents for her.

"What would I do?" Cass asked skeptically. She wasn't made for working at such a place as that. Literally.

She was made to protect one man and to destroy anyone who stood in his way. She was made to take his place as the head of a ruthless organization, not unlike Hydra. That man was dead. That organization was nothing but myth now. She was an heir to a throne without a kingdom.

How could she just work at an office building where she could barely read the bathroom signs? It was impossible for her to lead a normal life.

Maria knew that Cass' strengths weren't of any use to Tony unless he needed an assassin or a weapons expert. She had to try though. Without a purpose Cass would surely stray back to her father, she'd go back to being a nameless killer while he profited from her guilt, he'd wring out the blood on her hands and turn it into money.

"You don't need to worry..." Cass read the unease in Maria's eyes. She couldn't go back. If she learned anything in the time that she's been with Nick it's that she isn't irredeemable. She could help instead of hurt people, Natasha did it, why couldn't she?

Speaking of Natasha, Cass was supposed to meet her at the cemetery after her hearing. Cass thought to show up but Natasha advised against it. Cass wasn't in any files that were released. She was a silent hero. After they heard the name 'Cain' they would have her head. They wouldn't care if she helped save them all.

They arrived at the entrance and Maria hugged Cass goodbye.

"I'll see you, right?" Maria kept an air of coolness around her but she knew that this could be the last time she'll see Cass, at least for a while.

Cass beamed, "Of course... You're my family."

* * *

Cass was the first to be at the cemetery. She looked down at the grave. She couldn't make out the words etched into the stone. There was a garland of flowers set on the ground. Her ears perked as someone was approaching behind her.

"It says 'The path of the righteous man... -Ezequiel 25:17'" Steve's voice rang.

It was fitting. Fury's final resting place suited him.

Steve came into her peripheral vision and then Sam. They stood next to her careful not to disturb any of the graves since not all of them were part of an elaborate ruse. Nick's footsteps could be heard as he made his way to them.

"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before?" He directed his question to Steve.

"You get used to it," Steve replied.

Nick didn't waste any time, "We've been data mining Hydras files, looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship," He glanced over at them and continued, "I'm headed to Europe tonight, wanted to ask if you'd come."

"There's something I gotta do first," Steve wanted to help but he couldn't go on knowing that his friend was out there the way that he was.

Nick understood and turned to Sam, "How about you Wilson? Could use a man with your abilities."

"I'm more of a solider than a spy," was Sam's answer.

Nick knew Cass' answer already but he wanted to hear it from her, "Cass?"

A broad smile illuminated her face as she said clearly, "No, Nick."

The tiny beginnings of a smile played at the edge of Fury's mouth. She was making her own choices now and it pleased him. They'd see each other again even if their choices distanced them from each other.

"Alright then." Nick shook hands with the three of them and said, "If anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here." He indicated his grave.

"You should be honored, that's about as close as he gets to saying thank you," Natasha joined them.

Steve walked up to her, "Not going with him?" He was a bit surprised that she wasn't.

She humorously replied, "No." Just as Cass did earlier.

"Not staying here?" Steve guessed. Sam and Cass hung back by a large tree and observed.

"I blew all my covers, I gotta go figure out a new one," She explained.

"That might take a while," he said.

She raised her eyebrows and clarified, "I'm counting on it," She handed him a file that she had held onto, "That thing you asked for, I called in a few favors from Kiev... Will you do me a favor? Call that nurse?" She asked him coyly.

Sam nudged Cass with his elbow and raised his eyebrows, smiling. Cass had to stop herself from snickering.

"She's not a nurse," Steve corrected.

"And you're not a Shield agent," Natasha shot back.

He gave in, "What was her name again?"

They all smiled. "Sharon. She's nice," Nat told him. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek and began to leave. "Be careful Steve. You might not want to pull on that thread," she warned him.

Sam and Cass came to Steve and peered over his broad shoulders to look at the file he just opened. In it was a picture of the Winter Solider in cryofreeze and a smaller picture of Bucky before, when he was still himself. Cass couldn't read the complicated scribbles that littered the files papers.

"You're going after him?" Sam assumed.

"Neither of you have to come with me," Steve assured them.

Sam looked to Cass who glanced up from the photo of Bucky and gave him a trusting look, "We know," he said, "When do we start?"


	11. From Here

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**From Here**

The Smithsonian was as crowded as usual. People were bustling in and out of the captain america exhibit. The walls were lined with Howling Commandos memorabilia. Patriotic symbols scattered throughout the exhibit caught the eye and set the tone. The awe and reverence rolled off of touring groups in waves, children in particular. One lonely man walked past the people, to a singular panel. It had a large picture of a scruffy young man in a militaristic coat on the glass. Engraved were the words Bucky Barnes 1917-1944. It had basic information etched into it.

The man stood directly in front of the panel. His arms were in the pockets of his dark jacket and his hat hid his face from view. He lifted his head and simply stared. Their faces were identical but he couldn't reconcile the two. The Winter Soldier desperately wanted to reconcile the two, to think that he was once that man. He read through the panel and memorized the information.

He couldn't stay in one place too long. There were several other panels that held information on the Howling Commandos. He wanted to read about the people who he possibly called friends but it was risky to be there. The largest section of the exhibit was the Captain America section but he had already read his dossier and had the information he needed. He made his way out of the museum and onto the street. Walking aimlessly through the streets he pulled his collar up.

What he needed now was information on the Captains team. Sam Wilson and the woman. He had already been familiarized with Natasha Romanoff, Stark, and their other team. Hydras resources have been exposed. The other Hydra factions were still safely hidden away. He could use their resources and dismantle the rest of Hydra at the same time. He would end it.

But what if the woman found him?

She said she would.

Did he want her to find him? He wasn't ready to be face to face with the Captain. Their history went too far back, the wounds too deep. He would be ready for it one day but not one that would be soon. However, the woman, Cass, that was her name he was sure of it, had silently promised to find him again. She had already found him twice before, what would stop her the third time? Finding her first was an option. It was highly likely that she was with Rogers and Wilson though. He needed more information before he could take the next step.

He sped up the pace and walked to the nearest bus stop. The closest uncompromised Hydra base was hundreds of miles away but he would get there.

* * *

It took the Winter Soldier four days to get to his destination. The facility was small and almost unmanned. He raided the Hydra base in Washington before Shield got to it but it was a limited supply. Not that he would need any weaponry, it wasn't a large base. In fact it was an office building and Hydra had a floor, it was only for information storage. He slipped in and went to the nearest computer. The glow of the screen interrupted the dark. Going to the correct files he typed in Sam Wilson. Date and place of birth, basic profile and military files. His training was impressive as was his intelligence. Next he typed in Cass Cain.

Nothing. No files, no information. There were 122 Cassandra Cains in the world but none of them were her. He typed in Cain and entered the skill he had witnessed.

David Cain was the only entry. He opened the file and read through it quickly. He was an older man, a grossly over-skilled mercenary. He was a member of some zealous organization that had been decimated years ago. Still active and deadly, his last known whereabouts were in New York.

The Soldier looked closely at the photo of the greying man. He had seen this man before. He felt a headache coming on. David Cain was someone he knew. It couldn't be a coincidence that he had the same last name as Cassandra and had similar training. They even had similar features.

The Soldier would go to New York. Cassandra wouldn't expect to find him with David Cain if they are related. The Avengers headquarters was there but they wouldn't expect him so close either. It was perfect. He'd speak with David and get information from him.

* * *

**AN:** _My shortest chapter yet. I know I'm being vague but I want it to still fit into the MCU._


	12. Tell Me

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

**Warning:** _It does get gory._

* * *

**Tell Me**

"Where is my money?" A deep raspy voice asked calmly and steadily.

A man trembling at a mahogany desk said, "I-I can't get the rest until the inheritance kicks in! It'll be a year at least!" He tried explaining to the more intimidating man. He was sweating through his suit.

"Half before, half after. When I so graciously agreed on that I didn't mean a year after the fact." The man stood up and towered over the coward who had hired him to assassinate his wealthy family. His grey hair shined in the light of the luxurious office. He didn't really need the other half, he was set on the money front, but it was the principle. People would think that David Cain was someone you could take for an idiot and not pay for the services he provided.

He needed to make an example out this fool.

Quick as lightning he drew his firearm and shot the man in the face, pointblank.

He shoved the fresh corpse out of the chair and hacked into his computer and bank account. Emptying out his accounts and wiring the money to himself took less than five minutes. He was getting up to leave when he spotted it.

It was a picture of a little girl, on the bookshelf near the office door. There were family photos between the dusty books. One was of the dead man on the floor looking happy next to his wife and child in at what looked like Central Park.

A stab of remorse hit David in the gut. Not remorse for the man, he was an idiot, but remorse for what he did to his own child. If only he had gone with her to the park and taken happy pictures with her. Where would they be now?

It lasted for a couple of seconds and he continued on his way to the elevator. The janitor would find the body during his night shift.

The Winter Soldier watched as Cain killed his own client. He'd have to be careful when approaching him. His file was filled with high-profile assassinations, his most recent being the murder of two rich philanthropists, and now their only son. He began to leave the rooftop of a building across the street.

He tailed David from as far away as he could without losing him. The busy New York streets were in his favor. He blended in well. David headed to his current home, a hotel room at Jezebel Plaza. Bucky was going to follow him in but he stopped. It was a five-star hotel and he would definitely stand out. He hadn't bathed and his clothes were dirty. He'd have to come back later at night when there was less staff and people in general.

* * *

Bucky stood in front of Cains door. He could hear the shower running. If he snuck in Cain would have cause to shoot him but if he just knocked? He'd probably still shoot him. Drawing first was the only option. He took out a gun and picked the lock. Shutting the door quietly, he scanned the room. Soon after, the bathroom door opened and David Cain stepped out in a white robe.

A rare moment occurred for the Winter Soldier. He had a target but the goal wasn't to kill him. It was to get information from him without using tortuous methods. David, equally caught at a rare moment, was without weapons.

Recognizing the Winter Soldier in a flash, David grinned, "You look well." The Soldier looked scruffy and wild, looking quite the opposite. He was a dog off the leash.

"You know me?" His voice sounded like it was full of gravel. He hadn't been using it often.

David moved around the room to sit on the couch. He was acting as if he didn't have a gun pointed at him. "I do," David told him but didn't elaborate. He was dragging it out.

Bucky was getting frustrated. He wasn't in control of the situation and he hated it. He hated the cocky smile on Cains face and he hated how couldn't remember him. "How," he gritted his teeth.

"We met in Tibet, you were on an assignment. I was there." He vaguely explained.

"And Cassandra?" Bucky just knew she was somehow involved.

Cain stiffened. How much did the Soldier remember? How did he know about Cassie? He couldn't have known much about her. The real question was why did he want to know? If there was a chance that he was after her... David couldn't risk it. He'd eliminate the threat.

David quickly drew a gun from a hidden pocket in the couch and was going to shoot the Soldier.

Bucky was already a step ahead. He had gotten directly in front of Cain and had his own weapon directed at his head. He had no chance of missing.

Cain chuckled, "It seems that we are at an impasse."

"What is she to you?" Davids reaction was too emotionally driven.

Cain didn't answer. Like hell he was going to tell him. He'd done many terrible things and he was ashamed of few of them but to betray his own? To be sure he wasn't father of the year but he felt something for her that he had never felt for anyone else. It was profound and it was true. He wouldn't hurt her anymore.

The resolve in his eyes made Bucky take a guess as to why the smirk dropped from his face, "I won't hurt her." His voice was as strong as steel.

David thought it peculiar, the way he said won't... as if he was refusing an order. He had obviously gone rogue. Maybe he was refusing an order. But why? He could be lying. This could be an elaborate ruse. A trap. He'd seen the footage though. Washington in ruins. The leaked Hydra files. Cassandra was there with Fury. By the time David got there it was all over. The Soldier could have easily encountered her at some point.

"What do you want with her?" It wouldn't hurt to ask.

"She said she'd find me," he said.

It sounded like a threat but David knew it wasn't. Cassie wasn't vengeful or malicious, she wouldn't threaten him, unless under certain circumstances... It struck him. She wanted to help him. Of course. He wasn't going to take the word of a malfunctioning machine but he would take Cass' word. She'd find him. She'd have a hard time explaining how they knew each other. He might as well help her out.

"You tried to infiltrate a base in the Himalayan Mountains to assassinate the leader of the League. You failed. Cass caught you, easily I might add, and brought you and your men to him. You were being held prisoner in the caverns beneath. Cassandra was curious. She had never seen anything like you," Cain indicated the Soldiers cybernetic arm, "She was... punished for her curiosity. Our leader was paranoid. Corruption was in everyone, even his own children he thought. But when Cass was young he looked at her like she was the salvation of us all. He wanted her to be his heir. I was foolish enough to feel honored at the time."

David put his gun away and rose up to rifle through his elegant drawers and began to dump out his clothes. Bucky kept his gun trained on him. David walked to the closet and pulled out his suitcases and began to fill them.

He began again, "I trained her. Other assassins and mercenaries came to train her. She learned from the best. Initially she was meant to be the ultimate bodyguard. To be unrivaled. She was meant to take a bullet for him without flinching," Cain recalled shooting her. He would catch her off guard and her reactions to it were immaculate, "She was devoted without knowing why."

The Winter Soldier understood. He felt revulsion roll through his stomach. They took a child and stripped her of her humanity. He was his own person for a while before they stripped him of his. He didn't remember most of what had happened and that was a burden. Should he want to know what he had done?

David broke through his thoughts, "She sought you out in the caverns. She wanted to know more about you. Our leader saw it as a betrayal... He stormed down there to kill you but she saved you... He tore her to shreds for it," He didn't want to go on and he didn't have to.

Bucky clinched his eyes shut as his head pounded. His arm wavered and the gun suddenly felt too heavy. Flashes of the events Cain was retelling were causing his brain to throb. Suddenly it all came back to him.

* * *

_"Bring forth Cassandra Cain." The Soldiers target looked directly at David when he commanded this. His voice echoed off the walls of the mountain. Guards brought her to him._

_Her hair was up and she wore a long strange-looking dress. It was a thin, light, creamy brown, and left her entire back bare, starting again where the curve of her hips started. She stood on the platform waiting. Their ruler signaled something to the guards. They came beside her and lifted cuffs that were attached to the wall and secured her to it. They spread her arms like wings and fastened the cuffs. She was facing the wall while her back was facing towards a crowd of followers in the cavern. The guards then secured her feet together with the cuffs on the floor. Cassandra was practically being crucified._

_Their leader was handed a cruel looking whip. It was made of long, multiple strands of plaited leather with a stiff wooden handle at the end, the strands were tipped with steel claws to add further injury. The Winter Soldier couldn't recall a time where he used that kind of device. Granted, he couldn't recall most things, but weapons he could never forget. He had used torture methods to get information or if it was specifically requested of him, and usually the subject of it would squeal like a pig before he could even make them bleed. He knew a lot of the methods but he was rarely given the chance to use them. Seeing it now in person like this, he felt a small strange sense of peace that he hadn't._

_The escorts left the platform and joined the rest of the followers._

_"I have called you here to witness the rebirth of Cassandra Cain…" The leader of a cult of crazed zealots that were just as insane as he was, gestured towards everyone. The Soldier saw that no one was going to stop him, not even her father who stood idly by._

_The rulers strong arm raised the whip high above his head and brought it down on her back with force. Blood sprayed into the air. The Soldier forced himself not to wince as he heard the crack of the whip. Cassandra made little noise as the claws ripped into her flesh. Another sharp explosive noise came from the platform. This time she shrieked in agony as the whip tore through her soft skin. Not all the desensitizing training in the world could stop the pain from spreading through her like fire, burning her._

_It was the first time he had heard her voice. He didn't think he could ever forget the sound. It was raspy and guttural, like an animal caught in a steel trap. Her leader, expressionless all the while, brought the whip down on her. He did it again, and again, and again, and again. Her screams echoed off of the walls and resonated in his chest. He wanted to just stop the noise but he couldn't do anything about it and it enraged him. If he had killed their leader like he was supposed to none of this would be happening, he'd be gone, and wouldn't have to endure the sounds that were searing themselves into the back of his skull._

_The symphony of Cassandra's cries were punctuated with the sound of the whip ripping into her back. She couldn't move or do anything chained up the way she was. She turned her head in every direction until she met her fathers stare. Her usually rosy face was pale and drained, swollen and wet from crying. She looked to him and hoped that he would stop the pain but Cain did nothing. He only prayed that it would end soon... It didn't._

_The Winter Soldier grew angrier and angrier with each sound that came from the platform. He could see the strips of skin that fell from her thin body, he could see the bone, and the noise the whip made when it cracked against them was indescribable. Her screams vibrated through everyone. It was a revolting display of brutality. No one would help her, they all just silently watched._

_After what felt like hours, their leader finally stopped when the handle of the whip snapped. He was panting and drenched in Cassandra's blood. Her dress was now a deep and sickening crimson that clung to her lithe frame. He approached her and removed her restraints. She immediately fell to the floor, convulsing. The Soldier stepped forward unsure of what to do. Their leader carefully picked her up and walked off the stone platform and headed deeper into the caves._

_As soon as he left, everyone began to speak in hushed whispers._

_"What the hell was that?" The Winter Soldier turned to David Cain._

_"That was my flesh and blood being spilled for sparing your life."_

* * *

**AN:**_ If you have read _After Dark_ then this is redundant and sorry you had to endure that twice!_


	13. Silence

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Silence**

"You went after our leader and killed him. You saved Cassandra from him... Not that you realized it at the time, you thought she had died. You called for an airstrike and destroyed the base. I barely made it out with her," Cain spoke as the Soldier seemed to get control of his migraine.

Bucky was shocked to hear that he had saved someone. Instead of hurting her, he had saved her. He lowered his weapon and put it away. Cain had stopped packing and began to speak again, "After that I made her take the odd job here and there. Cass despised it. A few years later Fury found me. He made a deal with me, he'd look the other way if I found someone to take on a particularly difficult job. Cass excelled at her work and Nick kept her on. I haven't seen her since."

That last bit was a lie. He had seen her. When the smoke cleared in Washington he looked for her. He saw her when the EMT's were carting Rogers off to the ICU wing of a hospital. She was next to him the whole way there.

Then he saw her speaking with Romanoff. Cassie was smiling at her. David hadn't ever seen her smile so brightly.

It broke his heart.

Bucky wanted to know more. "Her mother?" He thought she might be dead given the line of work the Cain family was attracted to.

Cain actually laughed at the question, "Her mother? Her mother was the particularly difficult job Fury needed her for. Shiva was trying to kill him. Cass stopped her." Not interested in continuing the conversation, David diverted, "Just like she stopped you from killing Fury... I'd say I'm unimpressed with your recent work but then it was to be expected with the kind of opponents you chose. If Rogers doesn't find you, Cassandra will."

"I didn't _choose_ anything," Bucky gritted out, he became tense and defensive.

"Oh, that's right, you didn't." David smiled cruelly, "You know, Cass won't be so nice to you when she finds out you spoke to me. She isn't very fond of her father."

"But you're fond of her." The Soldier quickly spat out. He might be disoriented but he wasn't an idiot. He could hear it in Davids voice. He loved her. It was normal for a father to love their daughter but the way Cain showed his love was sick. It was in the form of pain and blood.

The cruel smile on Davids lips didn't falter, "I'm not the only one. Fury, Hill, Romanoff, Wilson, Rogers, they all enjoy her company. She found her own little surrogate family with the Captain, one you're not a part of."

"Enough," Bucky ordered.

Cain slammed the drawer shut so hard, all the furniture in the room shook. "No. You came to me. You're the one looking for answers. I didn't seek you out. I say when it's enough." Cain seethed dangerously. He looked him in the eyes for a moment before moving to grab all of his belongings. His calm demeanor came back quickly. "You are a killer. Cassandra is a killer. You're both no better than me, you just refuse to acknowledge it."

Cain made his way to leave his luxurious hotel room behind but he stopped at the door and said one last thing to the Soldier, "The only difference between us is that Cass and I are still alive and you died in 1944."

* * *

The Winter Soldier sat there in the silence. He was still looking at the door that David Cain had walked through hours ago. His head was still pounding.

What Cain had said to him... it was true. All of it was true. He was a killer. He could wash his hands a thousand times but the blood would still be there. It would always be there. He couldn't change that. Cassandra and Steve, they had a family, as unconventional as it may be. He wasn't part of it.

And he was not the man he was in 1944.

He was someone else altogether.

The Winter Soldier was undeserving of forgiveness. He was undeserving of Steve's forgiveness. He was undeserving of Cassandras sincerity. Bucky prayed that one day he might be deserving. Was he selfish enough to take what he didn't deserve? He could walk right up to Stark Tower, it wasn't far. Stark would contact Steve immediately and he'd arrive some time later. Steve would look at him with that hopeful look in his eyes. Cass wouldn't be far behind. She'd smile at him. God, no one had smiled at him in so long.

A drop of water fell onto his arm. He wiped it off and smeared it between his fingers. Alarmingly he looked up, thinking it was some trap that Cain set up. There was nothing on the hotel rooms intricately painted ceiling. He felt another drop. He wiped his face and found that it was wet. His brows tightened.

The weight of his misfortune was caught in a ball that was stuck inside his throat. He felt his hands tremble. His breathing was shallow and quick, his mouth quivered. His nose flared and after a minute of trying to contain himself his knees hit the floor. His hands dug into the plush red carpet as he shook and groaned.

Even if he got every single memory back, it wouldn't turn him back into the man he once was. It wouldn't make the blood go away.

* * *

**AN:** _I'm very grateful for any feedback I get!_

_Completely unrelated, I want to write a Gambit/Rogue story and I want to see if anyones interested in that?_


	14. Fallout Vapors

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Fallout Vapors**

"Natasha's informant picked up a lead," Steve said optimistically.

They'd been following up on the information in the files, traveling. They'd left Germany, the point of origin, and ended up in Russia. They were currently staying at an isolated lodge in the forest. Cass, Sam, and Steve had followed the trail there to a hidden KGB facility. They found nothing there. It was sealed with snow that hadn't been disturbed for years. It had been cleared out decades ago. After they hit the dead-end Steve remained persistent.

They'd been slumming it in the dumpy lodge for days as Steve thoroughly combed the area of the facility. Sam didn't have the heart to tell him that there was nothing to find. Cass was about to suggest calling some of the mercenaries she and her father knew. They might have heard something or even seen him. Before she could make a call on a phone her father had given her, Steve received a call from Natasha. She said her "friend" had found a reliable lead.

They were still speaking over the phone when Steve handed the phone over to Cass, "She wants to talk to you."

She grabbed the sleek black cell and waited.

"Ya know, you're suppose to say something so the other person knows that you're there," Sam chuckled. He walked over to the fireplace and began to throw in more wood. The place was below freezing.

Cass blushed. Her only experience with phones was picking up and a disembodied voice telling her where to go and what to do. Whether it was Fury, her father, or a client didn't matter, she was used to it.

Tasha had to get over that habit once too. She started, "Cass?"

"Yes," she wasn't sure if she was confirming her identity or her presence.

"The lead I got, the source of it is David Cain," she thought being direct was the best option. "He called a known information broker and told her he had a conversation with Barnes in New York. He gave up every detail. But he could be lying. The broker called me saying she had information I'd want."

Cass was at a loss. Did her father know more about James than he let on? Her father had contracts with the KGB before but avoided Hydra. It was possible they could have crossed paths. It wouldn't be the first time he left her scrambling for answers in the dark.

"The information?" She asked quietly, her accent softened.

Natasha had already sent the details to Steve but Cass would want to hear it out loud, "A Hydra data hive was broken into and destroyed, I looked into it and the hard drives history show the last files used were pertaining to one David Cain. The Winter Soldier was looking for him and found him," taking a breath she let Cass process it, "David was staying at Jezebel Hotel where the Soldier broke in and spoke to him," Nat paused, unsure on how Cass would react, "He asked about you, Cassie. David told him you had met before, told him everything he knew. Afterwards Cain left him there at the hotel."

"Thank you... for everything." Cass hung up the phone and handed it back to Steve.

"What'd she say?" Sam asked cautiously.

They'd look over the information Nat sent, it wouldn't hurt being vague, "He's getting intel."

Steve raised his brow, "On what?" Was Bucky planning something?

"Me," she spoke firmly but she was very confused. She told James that she'd find him, she thought it implicated a civil meeting. Maybe she was misconstrued. He could have mistaken it for a threatening remark. If that was the case, David wouldn't have let him live. Without another word she left the dank living room and headed to her current room. It was cold and blanketed with dust, but she had slept in worse places. Cass needed time alone.

"Why would he need intel on Cassie?" Sam was worried. The damage that man could do, if he was even a man at all, it was frightening. But he was a victim. Helping him was their top priority but if he tried to kill one of them...

Steve reasoned, "All of Shields files were leaked. Any intel he would need on Nat, me, or anyone else working for Shield, he could find now without a hitch. Your information would be harder to come by, but still not as tough as finding anything on someone like Cass," the gears in his head were turning as he sat down on a questionable chair to read the files Nat sent, "If he has an understanding of the way we operate, he has an advantage."

Sam sat down too, "An advantage on what?" The wooden chair creaked as he adjusted himself.

"On us... He doesn't trust us right now. Bucky could be preparing..." Steve didn't like the idea of Bucky thinking the worst of them but it wasn't unexpected. They had tried to kill each other.

"We'll prepare too then, in case he decides a preemptive strike is the way to go," Sam inferred but found Steve to be unresponsive, "Steve, listen man, we need to go. We have a new lead and this place... it's giving you and Cass cabin fever. It feels like one of you is gonna snap and go axe-murder-crazy on me and I can't have that."

Steve breathed deeply. The air was musky and shallow from the freezing temperatures. Sam was right. The cold was enough to make him want to go. And if he felt cold, then Sam and Cass were practically frost-bound. Though, Cass didn't voice her discomfort, he felt she was holding back from chattering her teeth. Sam didn't try to hide his complete distaste, he'd go on about it for half an hour straight.

"Lets go home then," Steve finally complied.

* * *

Home was currently a throng of places. Sams place in Washington was undamaged but Steves was trashed from a search team presumably lead by Rumlow. Natasha had given them a list of safe houses. Cass had a few safe houses of her own as a precaution from her previous line of work. They had been to a handful of them. Nats were minimalistic with the bare essentials, but the colors there were so deep and rich, it felt warm. Cass' were filled with weaponry and there were no warm colors to be seen.

Steve also had an apartment in New York and Tony had offered an entire floor at Stark Tower. They landed a few hours after leaving Russia a day ago. He decided it was best to hold off on introducing Sam and Cass to Tony. Sam and Tony would click right away, they were both enamored with the evolution of technology and had a quick wit about them. Steve could imagine himself sitting between them and getting completely lost in the first five minutes of them talking. Cass would probably get along better with Bruce. They both had a large capacity for quiet understanding. Clint was a toss up for both of them. Thor was currently off planet so he'd have to wait to meet them.

A small smile grew on his face as he started to unpack in his New York apartment. The earth tones calmed him and his 40's styled home comforted him. He was glad he had time alone. Sam had taken Cassie out to eat and sight see. She had been to New York plenty but didn't tell Sam otherwise.

Steves daydream continued as he thought about Sam and Cass meeting the rest of his friends. He wanted them to get along. Steve often thought about what would happen after this was over. Would Sam go back to Washington? Would Cass go back to Fury? Or worse, her father? Would Bucky stay? After it was all said and done, what would Bucky do? What would any of them do? After the attack on New York, they all went their separate ways. He didn't want it to be that way. Maybe he'd take Tony's offer and stay at the Tower.

His bright mood was smothered with doubts.

The door opened and Sam walked in followed by Cass holding a giant red slushie. She was slurping happily still holding back laughter at something Sam had said. He was grinning wide as he walked over to Steve.

"You would not believe how much we just ate. I think we would even put you to shame," he told Steve.

Steve's mood lifted again as his friends flocked to him, "Yeah? I guess that means you're going to have to train harder tomorrow."

Sam groaned at the thought of working out. He didn't have super soldier serum to thank for his physique, he had to work incredibly hard to keep up with Steve. Cass was no stranger to an intense work out session but she was also less than thrilled.

"Let's finish unpacking first, get an early nights sleep, and start back up tomorrow. Cass, you sleep in the guest room, Sam you can stay in mine, and I'll take the couch," he assigned.

"I'll take the couch Steve... And I won't hear another word about it, I'm serious," Sam insisted.

Steve was about to argue but stopped short when a phone started ringing. It was Cass' phone. She answered immediately and waited.

"Cassandra, I was hoping to speak to you privately but your new friends never seem to leave you alone," David Cains hard, steely voice came over the phone.

She stiffened. He had followed her, probably since she landed. "What do you want?"

"What I want is for you to walk out of that apartment. There's a car waiting outside. I'd hate to resort to threats," David demanded and hung up.

Cass felt like a child again, scared of the oncoming pain but unable to express it. She looked at Steve and Sam, they were concerned, guarded. "I have to go," it was all she said before she ran out of the living room. They ran after her. By the time they reached the lobby they saw her get in a car that sped off. It was a black luxury car with no plates.

The driver was silent. Cass had never seen her before. She felt claustrophobic, it felt as if the car was going to close in on itself, crushing her inside. There was a heavy sensation on her chest making it hard to breath. Even feeling like this, anxious and frightened, she would admit to herself that she was excited. After all David had done, after all he made her do, he was still her father. She hadn't seen for almost a year, the longest she'd been apart from him.

She thought they'd be going to some remote warehouse on the docks, leaving all the lit streets behind, but that wasn't the case. She passed Times Square and a few recognizable neon signs, but they didn't leave the heart of the city. The driver pulled up to The Continental, an opulent hotel with discreet service. The soaring building loomed over her as she stepped out of the car.

The doorman nodded at her and she walked up the stairs and through the heavy doors to the front desk. The place had changed. It wasn't as grimy or dumpy as it used to be. There were wide marble floors and elegant statues, the low lighting was unlike other blinding hotel lobbies. The man behind the front desk acknowledged her. She'd met him many times before.

"I have you for two nights," the concierge confirmed. He slid over a card key. "Room 818, and as always, it is a pleasure to have you with us again."

The elevator ride up wasn't fast enough. She didn't let her fear or excitement show. She walked towards her room knowing he was already inside waiting for her. She stood in front of the door for a minute before just opening the door. She walked into the open entry hall and made her way to the lower level. David was sitting near the window. He had waited a while, there was half eaten food on the table in front of him. The bed up against the entry hall was still made and the soft forest green carpet was mostly undisturbed, he hadn't been staying in that room. Doubtless, he had the room next to hers.

"We'll be leaving in two days. A private flight to Japan," David briefed. He didn't look away from the window.

Cass didn't want to leave. She only came to tell him that.

"No," her voice shook but she didn't falter.

David let an ugly sneer show. "_No_? And why not," he would humor her for the time being. He could play at being lenient.

"I don't want to leave... I don't want to go... not with you," she tried to explain in a way that wouldn't upset or anger him. "My friends-"

"Friends," he interrupted. He stood up and shoved his chair back, slamming his hands the table. "Friends? They are not your friends and neither was Fury. They're using you, Cass! They only care about what you can do for them."

She was enraged. Fury had been her first real friend, her first real connection to another human being. "I don't need you anymore!" She screamed, "My entire life you made me believe... I'm only worth what someone would pay! But they care about me... And you don't!" She started to feel a knot in her throat, "I'm going away from you."

A sharp pang of resentment coursed through David. Regret twisted in his gut like a blade. All he ever wanted for her was for her to be great, no matter what the cost. She was well on her way with the company she had kept. But he felt differently now. The company she kept were magnets for desperate criminals with a hunger for ruin.

David squeezed his eyes shut. It was hard for him to be honest. "You're the only person I've ever loved and you're the only person who has loved me. I can't... I can't lose you," He didn't want to hurt her anymore. He just wanted her to be safe. She'd be safe in Japan. "If you stay here with them... you'll die. And you might not need me anymore but I need you. And I need you not to hate me for what I've done."

Suddenly Cass was on him. She wrapped her arms around him and clutched him. She couldn't hate him. Some days she wished she did but she never could. She tried so hard to hate him.

"I love you," she whispered and he held her tightly thinking about what could have been. What Cassandra could have been if he had done right by her. He leaned into her and cradled her like he should have when she was young.


	15. Stolen

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Stolen**

"She isn't answering the phone," Steve stressed. He paced back and forth through his living room. "Did you see the look on her face?"

It had been about two hours since she ran off. Sam was working on tracking her through her cellphone but every time he got close he'd be rerouted. He was getting nowhere.

"I saw her," Sam replied somberly. Not a few hours ago he saw Cass almost squirt red slush out of her nose from laughing so hard and now she was gone without a trace. Life was funny that way.

Unlike Steve, Sams closest friend never came back. Riley was buried, he wasn't going to get up. He wasn't going to come back. Cass had to come back. Sam was starting to feel the missing spaces in his life fill up. She was his friend. Steve was so focused on regaining what he'd lost, he didn't think he'd lose anyone else. As close as they became in the short period they'd known each other, they still had so much to learn about one another.

Steve thought about asking for help. Tony could find her but Steve would be dragging him into a situation he probably didn't want to be in. He had the resources to search for her. They didn't exactly see eye to eye but that didn't mean they couldn't ask each other for help. That's what being an Avenger entailed, you could ask for help because you couldn't do it alone.

Steve had to ask for help.

"We're going to the Tower," Steve threw on a jacket and tossed Sam his own. Sam slipped it on without hesitation. They left the cozy apartment and headed to the elevator. The doors slid open and they stopped short.

There was Cass leaning against the small mirrored wall of the elevator.

"Please tell me you haven't been hanging out here the whole time," Sam said as he pulled her in for a hug that she happily reciprocated. "I thought someone had gotten to you."

She stepped out of his embrace and into the bright hall. "Someone did... My father," she explained.

Steve was immediately on the defensive. David Cain was a man with a price and someone would pay it one way or another. He was going to ask her a barrage of questions but she beat him out. It was a good thing too, Steve didn't have the whole floor to himself, his neighbors would get curious.

"He won't be trouble... not for us," Steve glanced at her questioningly, "I don't want to be what he wants me to be... He understands that," she didn't relay their entire conversation, some things were best left private.

They walked back to the apartment and noticed the air around them seemed less heavy. They'd overcome a slight obstacle and had many more to go but it was an improvement. Some of their fears had dissipated. Cain was a changeable man and he could revert to being a problem but Cassandra was confident he'd respect her wishes.

Steve sighed, "It's been a long day, how about we get some sleep? Tomorrow we can, I don't know, work on not getting into trouble."

Sam and Cass laughed as they made their way back to the apartment. Once they settled into the blue cushions of Steves retro couch Sam pushed to discuss the situation further, "Are you okay?" Talking with family that didn't accept you for who you are or who you want to be can be emotionally exhausting. It takes it's toll on a person, so he just wanted to make sure she was alright.

"I'll be alright," She said sleepily. Cass sounded so sure.

Steve noticed how tired she looked. Her hair wasn't as sleek as it usually was, it was frizzy or matted in different spots. Her face was slightly puffy and red, especially her nose. Swollen lips and droopy eyelids, all sure signs that she had cried. She would talk about it when she was ready. He wouldn't push her.

She closed her eyes. Steve nudged her leg with his and said, "Hey, what did I say earlier? You're taking the guest bedroom. I'll carry you over there if I have to, Cassie." He smiled at her deprecatingly.

Cass got up and brushed past him to the bedroom. It smelled like laundry detergent and everything was crisp. Steve didn't have many guests. Not bothering with taking off her shoes or changing, she just dropped onto the mattress and slept. Tomorrow would be better. It had to be.

* * *

Cassandras eyes snapped open. It was still dark. Her umber eyes adjusted to the pitch-black room. A crash from the living room had woken her up. Something was wrong. She grabbed a gun from her suitcase and clicked the safety off.

She ran in, gun at the ready. A large figure that was presumably Steve was on the floor. It looked like he fell through his glass coffee table. She gave him a quick once over and found multiple tranq darts protruding from his back. They looked badly made. Sam ran into the room soon after she did.

"What's going on?" He immediately got on his knees and examined Steve. He started yanking out the embedded darts.

Cass didn't answer. Whoever did this was still near. They weren't through yet. They didn't go through all of the trouble just to knock Steve out with a dozen darts. It would only be a few minutes before his body burned through the chemicals and he woke back up. She had to be guarded. The intruder was in the apartment. There was one window in the living room but the direction the darts came from wasn't even close to being from outside of it.

Whooshing sounds caught her attention. She tried to jump in front of Sam but she wasn't fast enough. He dropped and three darts stick out of his arm. For a split second she thought it was her father that was doing this. That second was all the distraction the assailant needed to hit her with a dart. She collapsed next to Sam and Steve. She failed them.

* * *

A sharp slap woke Sam up. He was cold and felt groggy. It took a moment for his brain to catch up. He was hit with a high grade tranquilizer. A muffled voice was becoming clearer but not by much. His hazy vision wasn't any help either. What happened?

"...up. Wake up, you son of a bitch!" A harsh voice screamed directly in his ear. Sam's head pounded and protested against the offending sound. He tried to move away from it but found that he couldn't. He was tied down to something.

"Look at me. Look at what you did to me. _Look at me_!" The voice was unrelenting. Sam tried again to focus his vision. He attempted to use his voice but only achieved to make a wheezing noise. His throat was dry.

A hand roughly grabbed his face. The person in front of him was becoming less blurred. His senses were coming back to him. He could feel the strange flesh that was clamped around his jaw. Sam blinked a few times to reduce the blurring. He thought he was still under the effects of the tranquilizer because the face in front of him was a hellish vision of Rumlow.

His skin was one large red, throbbing, scar. It was burned and severely distorted. But his eyes were what Sam couldn't stop staring at. He hadn't seen such pure malice. The hate held there was stifling.

Brock opened his mouth and his white teeth seemed so out of place on his visage. "You did this to me," he sounded border-line hysterical. He let go of his face and walked behind him. Sam couldn't see him anymore, which was worrying, but now he could see Cass and Steve tied to chairs with thick steel cables. IV bags were hooked up to them. Sam could only guess at what Rumlow was forcing into their bodies. He struggled against his bindings fruitlessly.

"A constant flow of tranquilizing agent," Rumlow clarified from behind him. He placed his hands on Sams shoulders. "You're going to watch."

Rumlow's hands disappeared and his footsteps sounded like they were getting farther from him. Sam took the time to take in his surroundings. It was a dimly lit concrete room. Grime was running down the walls and the air was humid and reeking. A safe bet would be somewhere in the sewer system. Brock was coming back. His heavy footfalls moving past him and towards his friends. He was carrying two large containers.

He held a container up and began to pour a thick liquid on both of them. The smell of gas filled the small room up rapidly. Sam looked on in horror as he realized what Rumlow was planning.

"Wait! Don't, don't do this!" Sam's voice was scratchy and raw. He thrashed against the ropes that held him to the chair.

Brock didn't acknowledge his pleas. He just kept dousing Cass and Steve in gasoline. He dropped the last empty container and ripped out the IV needles from their forearms. He was waiting for them to wake up. He wanted them to feel it. Steve was already starting to stir.

Sam knew it wasn't his fault. Brock was injured due to his own choices. However, he would never forgive himself if his friends died and he could've done something to prevent it. He needed to get Rumlows attention first and stall while he thought of a real plan. Sam needed to get them out of this. "Please, don't do this. They didn't do that to you, I did. I did it. Please, just don't!" Sam was heaving.

Brock turned to look at him. The only reply Sam got was the sound of a clicking lighter. Rumlow was playing with him. Steve began to lift his head sluggishly. Cass was still out.

"Sam?" Steve mumbled. He was still a bit drugged.

He replied, "I'm here Steve, I'm here." What could he do? Sam had felt this hopeless once and it almost killed him. He couldn't go through this again. But his head was coming up blank on what to do.

Cass began to twitch. They would both be completely awake soon. They'd be aware and burning in minutes. There would be no daring rescue. There would be no heroics. There would be no savior. His friends would die and he couldn't stop it.

Steve was fully alert by now. He was attempting to get out of his ties but it was futile. He was fully secured with thick steel cables. Rumlow had perfectly planned his vengeance.

His grunts of effort stirred Cassie and she began to wake up.

Rumlow said nothing. He just waited as fumes from the gasoline filled their nostrils. Sams heart raced and the only thing he could hear was the blood pumping through his ears. Steve was still writhing, still trying to get them all out.

Brock was getting impatient, he was fidgeting with the lighter. Walking to Cass he pulled his arm back with an open hand and struck her across the face. She jolted and lifted her head. Blood leaked from her mouth.

Sam tried to plead with him one last time, "_Please_! Please, don't hurt them! You can do whatever you want to me... just don't hurt them. Please!"

Brock just backed away from them to a safe distance and flicked his zippo lighter. That little flame would grow and engulf them. There was no way out.

His voice was void of any emotion, "Who wants to go first?" He looked between Steve and Cass. Rumlow honestly didn't care. He threw the lighter to the ground and flames lit up the room. He backed away as the flames spread.

Sam knew he couldn't get them out, not this time. He could only talk to them from a few feet away. "I'm sorry," He kept repeating it.

"Sam, it's alright," Steve looked right at him and looked so sincerely. Cass was still groggy and wasn't as aware as everyone else. Her last moments would be in a daze.

The fire reached Cass first and began to burn through her clothes and sear her skin. She began to groan. Before the fire completely swallowed her, a few small black pellets were thrown into the room. They exploded and released a fast acting white foam that extinguished the fire. A single shot rang out and Rumlow hit the floor, hit by his own tranquilizer darts. The extinguisher got everywhere. Cass and Steve were covered in it. Sam couldn't see behind him and didn't know who had rescued them, but he was too relieved to care.

"Bucky?" Steve breathed out. The Winter Soldier was standing right behind Sam now. He had on civilian attire, a simple grey shirt and a leather jacket with dark jeans. It was strange to see him in it, he looked more like a man than an assassin.

He ran over to Cassandra and untied her first, then Sam, and Steve last. He had to use cable cutters to get them out of their restraints but Steve was especially secured. Sam was still processing the last few traumatic minutes so he kept silent. Cass was up but shaking and unsteady. She wobbled over to Sam and leaned against him. Sam was grateful, they both needed the support, physically and emotionally. Steve was out and more balanced, but he was just as shaken up. He couldn't take his eyes off of Bucky.

"How...?" Steve wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.

Bucky began to tie up Rumlow just in case he woke up. "I tracked you down," he said quietly. He had been later than he had anticipated. He should have been there earlier.

* * *

**AN:** _I found little to no burn descriptions so I did the best with what I had. I'd like to thank everyone who follows this story, old and new!_


	16. Would You

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Would You**

The sun was beginning to rise. Pink hues streaked across the dark skyline and the wind was picking up and cool. Cass stared at the deep water in front of her.

They hadn't been in the sewage like Sam had suspected, they were out on the docks where no one would have found them for a while. This is where Brock Rumlow had planned to burn them alive. If he planned to move the bodies, they didn't know, and wouldn't know. Steve called Tony from a cellphone they lifted off of Rumlow and asked him to take care of him. He would have called the FBI but if Shield was compromised... He would just let Tony know enough to where he wouldn't be too intrigued to come himself, just enough so that he would send someone.

Sam had the most medical training so he checked Steve and Cass for any serious injuries. Steve was perfectly fine, as to be expected. He was damp from the extinguishing foam but he was healthy. Cass on the other hand was not nearly as impervious. Her clothes had been toasted and she had a few first degree burns but nothing to be overly concerned about.

Sam couldn't stop replaying Rumlow dousing gasoline onto Steve and Cass. If Bucky hadn't showed up when he did... Bile rose up in Sams throat just thinking about it. He spoke to him sincerely, "Thank you for saving them."

Bucky was dumbfounded. He hadn't even thought about it as saving them. But he did, he saved their lives.

Cass added, "You found me." She had been on the floor while Sam looked her over. Sam was on his haunches and Bucky was standing, leaning against the wooden wall of a decrepit warehouse. She stood up and walked over to him. Standing in front of him she slowly lifted her hand and placed it on his warm one. "Thank you." Sam stood up straight too and went to check on Steve who was still on the phone.

Bucky was still as she rubbed her thumb against his hand. It was soothing and he didn't want her to stop. He wanted to say something but he couldn't find the words.

"Don't go," She whispered. "Steve needs you." Her warm breath blew against his chest and all he could do was nod. He shifted forward without knowing. She smelled unpleasant due to her burnt clothes and singed hair but he didn't care. He was just so tired. He didn't want to run anymore.

Steve finished speaking with Tony and looked from across the walkway at Bucky. His hair was greasy and his fingernails had dirt caked in them, he looked homeless. Hell, he probably was. Cass slowly backed away from him and let go of his hand. The Soldier felt the warmth leave his hand and his chest. She went to look at the sunrise and left Steve to have a moment alone with James. They needed to talk.

* * *

Sam checked into the hotel while Cass was on the phone with Nat. Sam recounted what had happened and Nat argued about coming to visit so he passed the phone to Cass for her to handle it.

"I'll be on the next flight there," She stated.

Cass smiled as they made their way to the elevator. "We're fine... James will stay with Steve. We are staying at the Continental... Everything will be alright."

"Why not just stay at Stark Tower? All of you? I'll call Tony, He'll have an entire floor ready for you." Nat just wanted them to stay in a high security facility after their most recent incident. Admittedly, Steve and Bucky wouldn't be able to mend their relationship peacefully with Stark around, but they'd be safe.

Sam overheard and wanted to interject. He'd love to stay at the Tower and play with all the gadgets but he was busy shoving their cases inside their room. Cass rejected the offer, "No... It'll just be a while." They said their goodbyes and Sam called room service. They really needed a relaxing vacation, maybe a sandy beach. Somewhere trouble wouldn't find them, but did that place even exist?/

"Steve called, said to stop by his place," Sam said through a mouthful of pancakes. They had slept in and were off to a late start for the day. Cass was in a big white fluffy robe that the hotel provided. Sam was still in his flannel pajamas that his mom gifted him.

Cass had given herself a haircut last night, he helped with the back of it. The ends were burnt and nasty, a haircut was necessary, although she'd miss her long locks. It was sort of a long bob. Sort of because Sam didn't know what he was doing. The front stopped a bit past her shoulders. It was a light hearted, childish thing, to cut ones own hair, but it felt good. She was happy.

They got up and prepared for the day. Once downstairs and outside Sam called for a cab. Cass was nervous. The tension there could be was worrying. How do you fix something like this? How would they restore their bond?

The cab stopped in front of Steves apartment building. They made it there sooner than she had hoped. Sam looked worried too as they went up the elevator. Knocking gently on the door seemed ridiculous but it felt appropriate.

The door opened wide and Steve looked happy to see them. He also looked worn out. He locked eyes with Cassandra. "He's asking for you," he said. Steve nodded towards the guest bedroom. "Sam, get your things packed, we're going to Stark Tower."

The grin on Sams face must have been ten miles wide. He flew around the apartment picking up his leftover things. Cass smiled as her hand held the doorknob. Nat must have called and strong armed Steve into it. She let herself in and closed the door without looking up. She felt anxious and tried not to show it.

"You came," he said. His voice was hushed. Was he expecting her to not come? She leaned against the door.

She looked at him and saw he was much cleaner now. His hair was still wet from showering. "Of course," she said happily. She didn't want him to doubt that she was glad to see him, glad that he decided to stay. "Did you want to talk to me, James?" She prompted.

He looked to the floor then back up at her. "No one's called me that in a long time," He sounded upset.

"I'm sorry," Cass apologized, "Bucky then?"

He thought about it. Steve hadn't even called him James yet. He would call him Bucky and he would still have trouble responding to it. The second Cassandra said James his chest filled with the same warmth he felt when she held his hand. "No. James is fine," he replied.

She smiled brightly at him and the warmth doubled. "You know my name?" It was an honest question. The chance for proper introductions was long gone. Her father had literally told him her whole life story, so it was a safe bet that he knew.

"Cassandra," he said quickly. She walked to him, he was sitting on the edge of the bed and shuffling his fingers like he didn't know what to do with them. He was nervous too. "Your father told me everything."

Cass stopped mid step. She already knew that and suspected that's what he wanted to talk about. He mistook her hesitance for displeasure. Gripping his hands tightly, he had no idea how to make it right or say the right thing. His metallic arm was squeezing too hard, his other hand began to turn a painful red. Cass closed the gap between them and kneeled between his legs. She took his hands and separated them but held on to them. If he continued to grip it, he would have broken something.

His pulse sped up at the close contact. She was rubbing his hand with her thumb again. Even his robotic one.

"I know," She said. "Did you... want to ask me about it?"

He didn't feel like talking anymore. James just wanted her to keep rubbing circles on his hands and talking in that sweet voice. He found his own voice again and said, "No, I just needed you to know." He looked down at her and his arm got goosebumps.

She noticed and dropped his hands. She grabbed the towel he had dropped on the floor earlier and got on the bed with him. She sat behind him and began to dry his hair. His black shirt was damp and clinging to his back. Cass had assumed he was cold. He didn't let her know she was wrong. She was so close to him. The smell of her now was incredible. Everything about her was sweet.

"Your hair is shorter," he blurted out in need of a distraction.

He felt her fingers run through his hair as she said, "I cut it last night. Sam helped." She laughed slightly as she remembered Sam's apologetic look after they were done.

James' hands found each other again as he thought of Sam and Cass.

"Do you want me to cut yours?" She asked. Cass had cut her fathers hair plenty of times, even shaved his beard whenever he grew one and got tired of it.

He seriously thought about it and said, "No." Short hair would remind him of the picture he saw of himself in the Smithsonian. It would be uncomfortable for him because he doesn't see himself that way. Besides, Cass wouldn't be able to run her fingers through his hair if it was short. Cass noticed he was rather handsome with longer hair so maybe it wasn't such a bad choice. His hair was as dry as it could get with the towel so she backed off and sat next to him leaving a bit of space in between them.

"I'm sorry," he started. "I killed all those people and I almost killed you."

To say he almost killed her would be an exaggeration in her eyes. He had gotten her with the knock out gas but that was cheating. Rumlow using tranq darts was cheating. Now wasn't the time to argue technique though. He needed assurance and she was more than happy to give it to him.

"I forgive you. Steve does too," she spoke softly.

He hung his head and rested his elbows on his knees. He was ashamed of what they had made him do, of what they turned him into.

She sympathized with him, "You had no choice, now you do." Cass tried her best to be comforting. Usually she was fine with not being as articulate as others, but now there were things she wished she knew. He still wouldn't look up at her. She tried again, "David use to tell me I was weak... Without focus I was nothing... And he really always wanted me to be something... But he never asked me what I wanted... I wanted to read. I wanted to talk. I wanted a Father. I wanted a Family. I wanted to belong somewhere," her voice wavered and he finally looked up at her. "And now I do... If it's what you want, you can find a way to have it."

James was openly staring at her. A knock on the door interrupted them. Steve peeked his head in and said, "Sam is going to head out and pick up some clothes for you, once he's back and I'm done showering we'll be leaving soon. Will you two be alright?" He looked a bit wary.

"Yes," Bucky answered instantly.

Steve looked between the two of them and replied, "Alright." He went back into the hall and soon the sound of the front door opening and closing followed.

"Do you want to be alone?" Cass asked. He looked tired, he needed rest. She began to get up, but his cold hand stopped her.

He hadn't thought that through. He wanted her to stay but hadn't meant to grab her. He could hurt somebody without realizing it. Letting go, he held his hands together again. She sat down again, closer this time, almost brushing against him.

She continued to talk to him, "How's Steve? He helps you remember?"

"When he talks, I get headaches," He said and to his surprise Cass laughed.

She beamed, "Talking to Steve will do that." She placed her hands on the mattress behind her and leaned back on them.

"I remember we use to be close, we were brothers," James sadly stated.

Cass stood up quickly and said, "It can be that way again, if you want... Let's go." She went to the door and opened it, leaving him in the room by himself. He was a bit startled by her sudden change of pace but he followed her out and found her in the kitchen.

"Where are we going?" He asked. He heard the shower going in the next room.

She looked out the window and said, "Outside. You'll leave a note for us." She handed him a pen and paper that she found near the phone. Steve would be distressed when he found them gone but it's not as if they weren't planning on coming back.

He grabbed the pen and his heart sped up. He vaguely remembered going out with others just for the sake of going out. Mostly with women, he recalled. He cleared his throat and asked, "What do I write?"

"Uhh... We are going out for tea, be back soon." Cass sounded unsure but he wrote it down anyway. It was a bit past three so the streets would be crowded, but Cass wasn't worried.

As soon as he put the pencil down she grabbed his hand and led them out of the apartment. He grabbed his hat and jacket on their way out. She let go when she pushed the button in the elevator. He didn't question what they were doing. He felt ease at the moment and didn't want to lose it.

Steve was helpful but Bucky felt pressured. They wouldn't become close again overnight, they both knew that, but it felt forced. With Cassie right now, he was content. It wasn't forced at all. Truthfully, he felt awkward around both of them but it would pass, he hoped. Staying at Stark Tower was a good idea though. He could be monitored and tested there. Stark could take a look at his arm.

The elevator dinged and she walked briskly towards the exit of the brightly lit building. If he didn't keep his eyes on her, he would lose her. Stepping outside, he couldn't see her anymore.

The flow of people was constant. The sky was cloudy and a chilling breeze was in the air. A familiar warmth spread through him as thin fingers slipped between his own. Before he had time to register the feeling she was off again, this time dragging him with her. Exhilaration ran through him as they walked past the people on the street. Some stared and others were rushing around the city in a hurry. The tall buildings made a maze out of the city.

His arms and hands were covered completely, he had a jacket and gloves. If it was summer it would look out of place. He could still feel her through the material. All too soon, she let go again. They were stopped in front of a quaint coffee shop.

She went in and he trailed behind her. Cass ordered two cups of tea over the high counter and sat in a booth. He slid in the spot in front of her.

"What do you want to do?" She asked him. They'd have a few more minutes to decide before Steve got out of the shower and had a conniption fit.

Did he like to do anything? He did before, but now what was there to do? He didn't really know. The only thing he wanted right now was to just be around her. The energy she had was rubbing off on him.

Memories of holding hands and tinkling laughter rushed through his head. Bright glowing lights accompanied by the loud whirr of machinery... He liked the idea of making those memories with Cassandra.

"Can we go to Coney Island?"

* * *

**AN:** _Happy holidays! I've edited every chapter and fixed mistakes. Please review!_


	17. Memories Blanket Us

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Memories blanket us**

"Coney Island?" Cassandra was at a loss.

Bucky backtracked, "Forget it, I shouldn't have asked." It was a stupid suggestion. Why couldn't he think of something else to say?

The waitress came with their tea and left them again. Bucky grabbed the cup closest to him and began to fiddle with it. He kept his metal arm in his jacket though.

"What's on Coney Island?" Cass ignored his last sentence. Islands were almost always tropical and beautiful. Going there sounded like fun. Was it nearby? They couldn't just leave.

Bucky raised his eyebrows and realized she'd never been or heard of it. "It's an amusement park. I lived near it before..." he trailed off. Steve had told him they both grew up in Brooklyn, he had mentioned Coney Island but didn't say much about it. Maybe if he went to familiar places it would help him remember.

"I've never been to an amusement park," Cass said wistfully. She knew they had roller coaster rides and cotton candy but that was the extent of her knowledge on them. Now that James had brought it up, she wanted to go to one. He had taken back his words but it didn't really bother her. "I'll walk back with you and go by myself," she stated. Cass would be at Coney Island today. Her mind was made up. She didn't have to protect Fury, she didn't have to obey her father, she didn't have to save the world from Hydra with friends, she was free to do as she pleased. She stood up and grabbed her drink and looked at him expectantly.

"It's not really somewhere you go by yourself," his voice was lined with humor. Finding something funny again came easier to him than he thought it would. Sam was always on the edge of laughter and Cass was a generally happy person. He thought it'd be harder for him. Perhaps things like that rubbed off on him. Standing up with his tea he edged out of the booth.

Cass walked outside into the crisp air and when she heard him step out with her she turned her head and said, "Come with me then."

Before he could answer, her phone started vibrating in her pocket. She dug it out of her pocket and saw Steves picture illuminating her screen. He was calling her. She was tempted to ignore the phone call. Bucky felt a prick of fear. It soon passed after he registered that Steve was not Pierce, and he wouldn't punish him for doing something he wasn't suppose to.

Cass answered, "Steve?"

"Where are you?" He sounded upset. Very upset.

"Three blocks down, getting tea," she didn't hesitate to let him know.

She could hear him sighing. "I'm coming to get you," he said and hung up before Cass could reply. She felt bad. The note was obviously not appeasing but at least he knew they weren't kidnapped and in another Rumlow type situation. Grabbing Buckys hand, she led him back towards Steve.

Seconds later, they spotted Steve. She dropped James' hand as he rushed to them and gave Cass a disapproving look. "You can't just do that, Cass," he spoke quietly but it hurt to hear. He moved from the sidewalk to an alleyway between two shops to speak with them.

"She didn't do anything wrong," Buckys firm voice was directed at Steve. He looked at him from under the brim of his cap. Cass was berating herself but stopped when she heard that.

"Someone could have recognized you," Steve informed him. A hat and thick jacket wouldn't fool someone who was paying attention. Technically, Bucky was a fugitive, a terrorist. People wouldn't just let that slide, even though he was brainwashed.

Cass felt worse. She hadn't thought of that. What if someone had recognized him and called the police or the FBI? It could have been reported. He wouldn't have been caught, she would've made sure of that, but Hydras remaining factions would know his location and possibly come for him.

"I'm sorry," Cass apologized. She wasn't very good at thinking things through. In all honesty, she wasn't as smart as she wanted to be. She always had someone do the thinking for her and now she was left to think for herself. Everyone had their own skill sets but she was lacking in an important one.

"Don't be. Look, I understand that you can't be cooped up. That's why we're going to stay at Stark Tower, so you can have room to breathe. But we need to lay low for a while and let things settle down," he told both of them. Steve wasn't trying to admonish Cass, he just wanted them safe.

Bucky surprised them with what he said next, "Once we're at Stark Tower, I'll stay there. But right now, I'm going to Coney Island with Cassandra." No one would be looking for him there. Steve was bewildered. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open.

"Coney Island?" He questioned. "We can all go as soon as Sam is back from-"

"No. Meet us there with Sam later. We'll be fine," Bucky interrupted. Steve was being incredibly overbearing and he didn't know to let him know with subtlety. They weren't going to get past all of their problems if new ones were being made.

Steve was having an internal struggle. He didn't want to let Bucky out of his sight for fear of losing him again. But he had to be reasonable, he couldn't be with him every step of his recovery. He needed to give him space.

"I'll call when we get there. Sam shouldn't be long now. And Cassie, if you don't answer the phone I might be tempted to call the Avengers to join me in a search party," he smiled ruefully. He trusted Cass to stay out of trouble and to make sure Bucky did too.

She hugged Steve tightly and when she let go he moved to hail a cab for them. He opened the door for them to get in. "Be careful," he cautioned, closing the door. Steve looked at the cab as it joined traffic. He was admittedly a little stung that Bucky didn't want him to go. At least he'd have someone kind with him. It also didn't hurt that, that someone was the best trained assassin he'd ever seen, so he was in good hands.

* * *

"Where do you wanna go first?" Bucky asked as they stepped onto the boardwalk. Cass looked at the ferris wheel. She'd seen the London Eye and it was a behemoth in comparison.

"That one," she pointed to it. He walked with her, keeping his hands in his pocket. He wanted to feel her warmth again, but he restrained himself. She walked so closely though, the scent of her hair floated to him. Cass wasn't very tall but she wasn't short. The people she was surrounding herself with dwarfed her, for example, she was just below the line of James' shoulders. Next to Steve she was a child.

They passed all of the flashier rides and booths with people baiting them to play games. The smell of funnel cake was strong and mouth-watering. A throng of people waiting in line lessened and it was their turn to sit in the worn seats. James secured the bar into place. The car began to move and swing as it was lifted. "Does it hurt?" Cass asked him when they were up off the ground.

"What," he hadn't been recently injured. His arm still ached from when Steve popped it out of it's socket. He doubted she was concerned about that.

"Your metal arm. Does it hurt?" She clarified.

He looked at it. There was nothing wrong with it. It was pressed up against her smaller arm. "They took the sensory programing out of it. I don't feel anything there," he told her.

"No. Does it hurt here?" She lifted her arm and traced his jacket where his skin met metal. She'd seen him without a shirt while he was being held prisoner in the Himalayan mountains. It was clean and well done but still very scarred. It looked painful.

Their car was at the very top now. He looked over all of the people and shrugged, "Sometimes." It could get sore occasionally. It would feel stiff in colder weather and ache, but he learned to ignore it.

"Do you want it to feel?" She played with his covered fingers. They were hard and thick. Steves friend, Stark could help him with it, make them more nimble.

He stared as she moved his hand about. If it could feel he would feel muted pain that was completely avoidable, but he'd also feel her fingers run along his own.

"An off and on switch would be helpful," he settled. She dropped her hand to rest on the bar. "Why are you asking?"

She looked over the people below her and thought about what it was like to just live a normal life. Leaning forward to get a better look at a couple she said, "I've wondered about you since I was a girl." He followed her line of sight and quickly looked away. That used to be him. He'd bring pretty young women there to romance them and maybe steal a kiss... That wasn't him now. Now, he was grown. He'd fought in a war where he lost his life, he had killed people and stolen their lives. Romancing someone felt unimportant. Still he couldn't help but feel... No that was wrong, he shouldn't feel that way.

However, he had no control over what Cassandra felt. She leaned back in her seat and waited for them to get to the ground again. The wheel stopped and they got off. James quickly walked away from the uncomfortable crowd of people. It's not that they were making him uncomfortable, it's that he didn't think they were safe with him so close.

"We can go," Cass advised him. She wasn't going to force him to be there, but she thought he wanted to be there with her when he told Steve they were going.

Bucky knew his mood didn't make him the best to be around. He didn't want to go back to Steves apartment just yet though. "We can stay. I told Steve I'd meet him here anyway."

Cass went to a funnel cake booth nearby and in the span of five seconds she had white sugar powder all over her face. Bucky smiled and debated on whether or not to tell her.

"What?" She noticed him staring.

"Nothing. I just find it funny that one of the worlds deadliest assassins has the eating habits of a five year old," he told her. She wiped a finger across her mouth and it had white on it. She didn't feel embarrassed, she rarely did, but she did find his description somewhat insulting.

"At least I'm not ninety," she teased.

"Ninety-seven, show some respect," he corrected. Suddenly it hit him. He was ninety-seven, technically. He sighed, it didn't matter anyway, it was just another thing that separated him from everyone else.

Cass sensed his mood going sour again. "You're handsome for your age," she complimented. He smiled ruefully. Internally he felt strange. Cassandra was beautiful, even with her uneven hair. It waved slightly now that there wasn't much weight bringing it down straight. She was beautiful and she found him handsome. "I always thought so."

"Uh... How about we go to the Cyclone next?" He suggested, trying to steer the conversation away from himself and the thoughts he was having.

Cass shook her head. She didn't want to get on anything like that, she was having more fun people watching. Everyone there was generally happy, with the exception of a few kids that looked like they were about to barf. She found another couple. They were kissing behind a tent they were passing. Stopping, she cocked her head. She'd kissed few people before, Floyd, an American contract killer, was her primary source of physical contact. He was never gentle, not that she minded or expected any different, but when he kissed her it didn't seem the same as the couple in front of her.

Maybe they actually cared about each other.

"Cass?" Bucky called to her. She turned back to him and continued walking. "I bet I could beat you at that," he pointed at a booth where people were throwing darts at balloons. Cass was, for the lack of a better word, competitive. Bucky was no different. "The winner gets a prize."

They walked over and took their places.

* * *

**AN:** _Never been to Coney Island but I imagine it's like a watered down carnival version of Six Flags._


	18. Let Me Break

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

* * *

**Let Me Break**

"You lost," Cass spoke as her last dart made it to a pink balloon. It was close to being a tie but she managed to beat him just fine. James stared at the throng of popped balloons. It was worth losing just to see her smile that way at him though. Cass turned to the woman in the booth and nodded at a stuffed bear. "You owe me a prize too," she reminded him while she patted the overstuffed pink bear.

He had promised her a prize. James asked carefully, "What do you want?" They began walking down the boardwalk, the amount of people had thinned out and he felt more comfortable.

"I want... us to be friends," Cass spoke, unsure. She looked at him expectantly and waited for his response.

"No," James instantly growled. They were nearing the concession stands and heading towards where they would meet Steve and Sam. Bucky saw no reaction on her face from his immediate rejection. He had tried to kill his only friend, his track record wasn't exactly great. It was for the best really, he'd only cause her pain, just like Steve. And a big part of him didn't feel like he'd be satisfied with just being her friend.

Cass' voice was void of emotion, "Why not?" She was inwardly hurt by his denial of her, and she was curious as to why he would reject her, but she wouldn't force herself on him. But all the signs he gave meant he wanted to be her friend, did she read him wrong? She would leave it alone. She would leave him alone, if that's what he wanted.

He clearly spoke, "Cassandra, I almost killed you... twice." He hoped that she would just drop it. He didn't want to get into every detail.

"And you saved my life twice," Her voice was sharp and clear. She didn't want him to feel sorry for himself or her. It angered her that he would blame himself for the killings he was forced to do. Cass needed him to know that he chose to save her and Steve. A woman walking close to them stared warily at them. Cass had raised her voice slightly and people couldn't help but hear.

Bucky noticed. "Let's go," he said. She began to walk towards the main entrance where Steve would probably be but Bucky stopped her. His hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her in the opposite direction.

"What?" She questioned him. He didn't reply right away and it irked her. His metal hand wrapped like a cuff on her wrist didn't let up. Cass allowed him to pull her along, he didn't look like a danger to anyone. It was just annoying.

He slowed down and loosened his grip, saying nothing. He pulled her to a more secluded area and spoke calmly, "I can't be your... I'm not a good man."

James closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "You need to stay away from me."

Cass stiffened. She didn't like this conversation, she was ending it.

"Then I will, James. Starting now."

She turned from him and walked away. Cass wouldn't stay where she wasn't wanted. He was so closed off, she couldn't get a good read on him. It was easier to see when he was angry or with Steve.

* * *

"Where's Cassie," Sam asked Bucky as soon as he saw him standing alone. He seemed unhappy, not that Sam knew what Bucky looked like happy, but his face was more grim than usual.

Steve scanned the area and saw what Sam meant. She wasn't with him. It was slightly worrying. Both of them had yet to fully recover from their traumas. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, he just worried about them. For either of them to be alone wasn't something he felt completely comfortable with.

"She's staying away," Bucky stated ominously.

"What? Where is she?" Steve was fully concerned now. What was making her stay away?

"I don't know where she went," Bucky looked at Steve. He didn't mean for her to stay away from everyone. If she left the city... It was his fault she was leaving them.

Sam said he'd walk around and do a quick sweep of the place. He left them near the entrance, he didn't know where to start though. There were too many places to hide in. The few people walking around now were sparse.

Thankfully Sam didn't have to search for long, she was at a table next to a food cart. There was a pile of plates in front of her. He jogged over to her and took notice of the white powder all over the table.

"You ate all of these? By yourself?"

Cass looked up from her funnel cake and nodded. She didn't look upset but her face wasn't showing any emotion.

Sam sat down on the bench across from her and asked, "What happened?"

"He told me to stay away... He thinks he's dangerous to me," Cass spoke as quickly as she could.

"He is dangerous, Cass. He hurt a lot of people-"

"So have I," she immediately interjected. "I've killed and no one forced me to do it... No one was there to wipe my memories clean."

Sam kept his mouth shut. He had killed too, but the circumstances were different. He just didn't know what to say to her.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Bringing it out he saw a text on the screen from Steve. Sam texted him that he found Cass and they were heading back. He got up and said, "We should go." Cass nodded and left with Sam.

They took different cabs back to Steve's apartment. As soon as they got there, they began to finish packing their things. Tomorrow they'd be at Stark Tower. Steve was going to keep the apartment though. There was only so much of Tony he could take, no matter how big a space they were sharing. If he needed a break, he'd come back. His friends were welcome to do the same.

"If he doesn't want us there?" Cass asked as she helped Steve clean out the kitchen. She had been actively avoiding Bucky and it seemed to be because she was upset, but Steve realized she was trying to respect Bucky's wishes.

Steve stopped taking food out of his fridge and looked over the door. "He asked us to go. He wouldn't tell us to leave after inviting us there... I hope," Steve said under his breath. Tony wouldn't do that to them.

"Stark asked you... He doesn't know us," she clarified. Cass was getting nervous. The closer it came to leaving the more nervous she got.

"It was implied that you all come with me. He wants to take a look at Buckys arm and... study it. And he wants to upgrade Sams wings. Knowing Tony he already has about five prototypes ready for testing. The other Avengers will be going too, when they can," Steve explained, "You're going. I'm not leaving you behind."

Cass smiled and continued to pack the kitchen in companionable silence with Steve. Soon they were finished. All the food that would perish while they were gone had been taken care of. A knock on the door was heard throughout the apartment and Steve wondered who it could be while he went to open it. He looked through the peephole and sighed heavily.

Opening the door for Happy, Tonys much needed bodyguard, he moved out of the way. "Why'd he send you?"

"He thought you guys were taking too long," Happy let him know with a shrug.

"Taking too long?" Steve raised his eyebrows. He was put out with Tony already. "I just told him today that we'd be staying at that god awful monument to himself."

Happy shrugged again, "He sent me to pick you up, so here I am." He went over to the suitcases already packed in the living room and began to take them out. "I'm just following orders, Cap," he said.

A few minutes later everything was in the short limo that Tony had sent and on their way to the Tower.

Steve saw the big ugly thing miles before they got there. It lit up the sky and blocked out the moon. The Tower was hugely glaring and he couldn't believe he agreed to live in it. Sams whistling snapped him out it and reminded Steve of why he was doing this.

"The man has style," Sam said as he looked up at the Tower. Bucky looked out the window and seemed unimpressed.

"He's a narcissistic egomaniac," Steve grumbled. He was grateful but he couldn't help it. Stark just rubbed him the wrong way.

They stopped in front of the building and got out while Happy went to the garage. It was late so the streets were practically empty. Steve could see Pepper through the glass doors waiting for them. He opened the door and let everyone in.

"I'm Pepper Pots. We haven't been introduced yet, Captain," she said once they were all inside and held out her hand for Steve to shake. She was a thin women with bright orange hair and pristine white clothes.

He took it and replied, "Steve Rogers, m'am. This is Sam Wilson, Cass Cain, and Bucky Barnes." He pointed them out to her. Pepper was a woman who commanded authority and respect. She was the complete opposite of the kind of woman Steve expected Tony to be with. She was so poised and graceful.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Seeing as how we'll be living together, I hope we can get along. Now for your tour," Pepper led them to the elevator. "The Tower has ninety-three floors of which eighty-three are used for Stark Industries and its subsidiaries. The top ten floors were originally suppose to be for research and development, but they are now being altered so that Tony can have his super sleepover. The floors are being remodeled to fit your individual needs," She stopped and let them into the large elevator. "Dr. Banner is already here, and with Tony on the top floor."

Everyone was kind of unsure what to say or do. She held out a tablet for them to see. "We'll be sharing floors, except for Bruce who has his own, for obvious reasons," She swiped through and showed them the layout for each of the floors. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

"Well, well, if it isn't Team America," Tony was instantly at the door and his eyes scanned over them quickly, analyzing them. "You're all heroes and deserve the utmost respect. Except for you, Robocop, I've called the authorities and they're on their way." He was so close that he blocked the giant room out of view.

They all stiffened and Tony laughed, "Relax, I'm joking. Does that detach?" He was about to knock on Buckys arm when Steve stepped in between them.

"Tony doesn't understand the term 'personal space,' you'll have to get used to it," A calm voice near the bar intervened.

"Bruce! It's great to see you again," Steve walked over to him and shook his hand firmly.

"Likewise, Cap," Bruce replied.

Tony was standing in between Cass and Bucky. "Jarvis scan them."

A disembodied voice floated throughout the room, "Already have, sir. A thorough scan of the arm has been completed. All data has been saved and files on the present individuals have been updated. I had to start a new file for Ms. Cain, sir."

"Everyone else is coming this week, so get some rest because we are going to party it up when they get here," Tony said as he poured himself a drink and slugged it back.

"Tony, let them get some sleep. You can annoy them in the morning," Pepper told him. In reality, she was tired too. Rearranging ten floors in the time she had wasn't easy.

He looked like he was about to disagree but she gave him a stern look. "You're the boss," he said. "I trust that I don't have to tuck you in. Jarvis can answer any questions. See you in the morning." He walked over to the elevator with Pepper and left them on the top floor.

"That guy is too quick," Sam decided. It's as if his brain never stopped.

"Tony just operates a little faster than most people," Bruce stated. He stepped down from the bar and went to the elevator. "Goodnight everyone. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Uh... Jarvis, where are our rooms?" Steve asked hoping the AI would answer him.

* * *

**AN**_: Does it seem like it's all happening too fast? Let me know!_


	19. I'm Sorry

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier_.

* * *

**I'm Sorry**

Cass couldn't sleep. It was her first night at Avengers Tower and she was sitting in a dark room on a couch that was more aesthetically pleasing than comfortable. She didn't have her own floor, Sam was her new roommate. Cass was grateful it wasn't someone else. They shared a living room and kitchen area but everything else was separate. Their floor was a bit bland but it's not as if Stark would have known how to customize it to match their personalities, he didn't know them.

After the elevator doors opened Sam went to find his room and crashed out on the bed. Cass went to her room but grew restless on the marshmallow bed that was given to her. She got up and walked around looking at the different objects placed there for them, and eventually she sat on the couch and stared out the enormous window. The city was beautiful.

There was this growing feeling in her and she couldn't put a name on it. The longer she stared, the stranger she felt. Maybe she had been up too late. Looking to her right she saw glowing symbols on the microwave in the kitchen, it read 5:00 A.M.

Bucky was staring at the same model microwave, reading the same time. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't get past the feeling that he didn't belong. It was all very overwhelming. He got up and went down the hall to his room. He could hear Steve snoring softly from his own room. When they arrived on their floor, their bags were already there waiting for them, Steve helped him unpack his new clothes. They were all neutral tones and casual clothes, mostly it was all black.

Sitting down on the bed, he thought about the fact that he was probably being monitored. He believed the AI operated throughout the tower, but he might be given closer attention. It didn't upset him much, it was just uncomfortable to know he was being watched. Briefly, he thought of finding a way to shut it down, but Stark would find a way to fix it quickly. He laid down, not bothering to cover himself, and tried to make himself sleep.

* * *

_9 MONTHS LATER_

The sweat dripping down Bucky's back drenched his shirt as he lifted the heavy weight with his arm. Whenever flashes of the past came to him, he got headaches and training helped relive the stress of it. Today, he remembered being on the battlefield. When he was in the war. He had always been good at killing, even before...

He started to lift the weight faster, until he thought his arm would fall off. The sound of the door opening behind him, made him stop. If it was Steve, he'd have that worried look that made Bucky even more stressed.

They had made a lot of progress. Steve realized that things could never go back to the way things were, it just wasn't possible. Their relationship was stilted sometimes but for the most part they became close again. The other Avengers were still wary of him but they accepted him. He didn't go out on missions with them though, they all felt like it was too dangerous to be seen with an assumed terrorist. It's not what was said but it wasn't hard to understand why.

By the time Bucky turned to see who it was they were already out the door again.

It was Cassandra.

Anytime they were in the same room together, she left. Not angrily or abruptly, if she was doing something, she'd finish whatever it was up and then leave the room. But if he was lucky before she left they would steal glances at each other. Everyone noticed it. He felt wrong every time she left but he couldn't find it in himself to stop her. It was hard since they lived together and shared spaces. She came to the gym but he was in it so she left.

She hadn't spoken directly to him since Coney Island. Before he walked into a room he would wait outside the door a bit just to hear her. She would scoff at the stupid things that Barton said and speak seriously with Natasha. Sometimes, when he knew she was with Sam or Steve, he would go find them because that's when she was the happiest, he could hear her laugh. James was envious of all of them. If he was lucky she would look at him.

It had been months and the words still got stuck in his throat. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, that he didn't want her to stay away from him at all. In fact, that as time went on the closer he wanted to be to her. But he felt that maybe he was too late.

He threw the weight across the room and it hit a rack and broke it. The noise of weights hitting the hard floor and rolling around echoed throughout the room. He rushed out and thought maybe it was time for him to go.

* * *

Cass heard a crash in the training room she stopped walking and thought about going back to check on him but thought better of it and continued walking to the elevator. She pushed the button to go to Steve and James' level.

Sam had asked her to pick up his vinyl copy of Troubleman and send it to him. He was in Chile finding Hydra war criminals in hiding. He wasn't with the Avengers and finding 90 year old men in foreign countries was definitely not as hardcore as going to Hydra bases and kicking ass but it was still a task worth doing. Cass wanted to go with either Steve or Sam but Steve had told her she's not ready yet and she trusts his judgement. She couldn't go with Sam because the government is heavily involved with arresting these criminals and they had very restrictive rules.

So she was stuck at the tower. With James. The only person who she couldn't talk to. She was so frustrated with having to avoid him. She didn't feel at home here. In a true home she wouldn't have to stop herself from talking to someone who was sharing it.

She arrived at Steve and James' level and went straight for Steve's record player in the living room. She looked through his vinyl collection and couldn't find it. She blew her hair out of her face and went to check his room. He kept most in there. It was a large collection that lined his left wall all the way up to the rooms tall ceiling on a wooden shelf. He had an IPod with all the same albums but she had guessed that it felt more natural to him to actually have them. Sam just wanted his vinyl because he of the sentimental value.

She knew what the cover looked like but it would take too long to go through all of it. Hoping that Jarvis maybe had an answer she spoke up, "Jarvis, where's Troubleman?"

"Top right corner shelf, it's the eleventh one in, Ms. Cain," He replied promptly.

It was so high up. She would probably need a stool to reach it, but she didn't know where Steve kept it. Running her fingers through her soft hair she sighed and thought of all the places he could keep it.

She heard the elevator arrive and she stilled. Steve was gone on a mission to take down a large Hydra base in Sokovia, so it could only be James.

She heard him rush through the living room and his heavy footfalls. He went to his own room and slammed the door shut. She cringed at the sound. She should have waited until he left somewhere to grab the album. Looking up at the shelf, she sighed, waited a minute and decided to leave. She peeked out the doorway and began walking quietly through the level.

Cass was almost in the living room when Buckys door opened. She stopped mid stride and turned around.

He was in civilian clothes and he had a suitcase with him. He was leaving. Her eyebrows furrowed and she opened her mouth slightly. He had stopped for a second when seeing her but began to rush past her.

"Wait!" She called after him. Grabbing his arm she tried to slow him down. "Don't go..." She trailed off. She didn't want to guilt him into staying or use Steve against him.

"I can't stay here anymore," He said sadly.

"Why not?" Cass still hadn't let go of his arm. She gripped it tighter than she thought comfortable. He didn't respond but he didn't move either. Cass tried again, "Please stay."

"Why do you care?" He asked slowly.

She wanted to mention Steve but knew it wouldn't be fair to him so she told him the truth, "I don't want you to disappear again," Cass' grip loosened and lowered as she enclosed his hand in hers. "If you want me to stay away, I will. I'll leave the tower, I'll leave the city, I'll leave this life behind me if it means that you stay here."

"I don't want you to stay away anymore," Bucky squeezed his eyes shut as he felt her hand around his and memorized it. She was so close to him, he could feel her cool breath fan across his face. He couldn't stop himself. Dropping his bags to the floor he grabbed her by the waist gently and leaned in for a kiss.


End file.
